Galician whites: Panel tasting results

Beth Willard, Sarah Jane Evans MW and Pierre Mansour tasted 59 wines, with 1 Outstanding and 26 Highly recommended.

Galician whites: Panel tasting results

59 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 1

Highly recommended 26

Recommended 31

Commended 0

Fair 1

Poor 0

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-vintage white wines – single varietals or blends of any authorised white grapes except Albariño – from any of the five DOs in Galicia: Monterrei, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro, Valdeorras.

From Godello to Treixadura, Loureiro to Caiño Blanco, this tasting offered some exceptional examples of Galicia’s white wines, as well as some new discoveries and a few surprises.

Here we focused on Galicia’s treasure trove of white varieties excluding Albariño, which has already earned itself plenty of attention and been well explored in other tastings. Spanish agriculture ministry data for 2022 shows that production of white wines across the four provinces of Galicia constitutes a significant 69%, bucking the trend of the majority of regions in Spain where red varieties are more widely planted.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Galician whites panel tasting

The judging panel was most impressed with the high quality and consistency of the wines. Nearly half of them – 27 out of 59 – scored 90 points or more. ‘There were no really bad wines in the tasting,’ noted Pierre Mansour. While consistency is a common feature of Spanish wine tastings, we speculated that Galician whites must surely be among the best performers across all price points. It is interesting to note that three of the wines awarded 90 points are under £15, so despite rising demand and costs in Galicia, there is still value to be found.

One variety dominated this tasting: Godello was present in 44 of the wines, either on its own or as part of a blend. Sarah-Jane Evans MW commented that Godello ‘makes much more serious wines than some would expect’ and is the ‘next thing to watch after Albariño’. There were Godellos from each of the five Galician DOs (Denominación de Origen), which allowed the panel to highlight some interesting regional differences.

In this tasting, the Godellos from Rías Baixas and Ribeiro, the two regions closer to the Galician coast, seemed richer and bolder. Godello from Ribeira Sacra was spicier and offered up more mountain herbs and freshness. Monterrei was quite lively and direct with distinctive citrus notes, and the wines from Valdeorras were more floral, vibrant and finessed.

See notes and scores for all the Galician whites panel tasting wines

Treixadura, the most important grape in Ribeiro, somewhat disappointed in this tasting. Mansour suggested ‘it is working better in blends rather than on its own’, but perhaps some of the region’s best, single- variety Treixadura wines were not submitted. There are certainly outstanding examples in the region, so our panel felt there is still plenty of quality Treixadura to discover for markets beyond Spain.

In contrast, the panel was impressed by some quirky and characterful wines made from rarer indigenous varieties. The top-scoring wine is made from the almost extinct Blanco Lexítimo, while another high-scorer is a single-variety Caiño Blanco. Some of the blends also showed off the potential of other local grapes such as Loureiro, Doña Branca, Lado and Torrontés.

While some familiar names feature among the producers of the top wines on this list, we were pleasantly surprised to see some different labels, unfamiliar to the panel. Our parting hope was to see more of these Galician white varieties, as well as up-and-coming producers, making their way to our market soon.

Galician whites: Panel tasting scores

The judges

Beth Willard is involved in sourcing wines for both the on- and off-trade in the UK, with a particular focus on Eastern Europe and Spain. Formerly buying manager at Direct Wines, she is a member of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, and a DWWA joint Regional Chair for Spain.

Sarah Jane Evans MW is a Decanter contributing editor and Co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards. Her latest book The Wines of Central and Southern Spain (£35 Infinite Ideas) is set for release in early 2024.

Pierre Mansour is director of wine at The Wine Society, and has been buying The Society’s Spanish wines since 2008. He is a member of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, and a DWWA joint Regional Chair for Spain.

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