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Home to Santiago de Compostela, this region offers wine lovers their own pilgrimage through Ribeiro and Rías Baixas, finds Sue Style. Read her Galicia travel guide here.
Galicia: where to stay, eat, shop and relax
Hotels
A Quinta da Auga, Santiago de Compostela
Originally a paper mill, now a superb Relais & Châteaux, rescued and carefully restored by a local family, with in-house Filigrana restaurant for upscale Galician specialities. aquintadaauga.com
Casal de Armán, Ribadavia
Skilful transformation of a ruined 18th-century farmhouse into a super-comfortable rural retreat with six rooms, in-house restaurant and views out over vineyards and mossy church towers. The perfect base for Ribeiro explorations. casaldearman.net
Hotel Monasterio San Clodio, Leiro
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A historic hotel with 25 rooms housed in a 12th-century Cistercian monastery, gloriously restored by the Galician government and operated by the Eurostars group. monasteriodesanclodio.com
Quinta de San Amaro, Meaño
Nacho and Julio, originally from Madrid, have conjured this delightful 14-room hostelry from a clutch of buildings dotted around the garden. quintadesanamaro.com
Restaurants
Nova, Ourense
Worth a detour for inspired modern Gallego cuisine from Daniel Guzmán and Julio Sotomayor, awarded their first Michelin star in 2014. novarestaurante.com
La Carpinteria, Leiro
Great tapas and prime Gallego beef in a former carpenter’s workshop – a hot tip from Ribeiro winemakers whose bottles feature at the entrance. Tel +34 988 036 084
Yayo Daporta, Cambados
Chic little eatery in Cambados the old town for star-struck cooking by chef Yayo (of Top Chef TV fame) with sympathetic service and sage wine advice by his sister. yayodaporta.com
Enoteca Ribeira de Fefiñans, Cambados
Wine bar and shop on the seafront with tasty tapas and raciones, a good range of wines by the glass and excellent sommelier-led advice. ribeiradefefinans.com
O Muiño da Chanca, Dena
Empanadas, spanking-fresh scallops and cockles straight from the estuary and grilled meats in this restored 18th-century mill between Cambados and O Grove. muinodachanca.com
Abastos 2.0, Santiago de Compostela
For €21 (€30 with three glasses of wine) you get five different tapas in the Abastos tavern beside the market. Across the street in the restaurant there’s a full menu or (Thursdays only) upmarket burgers from juicy Gallego beef. abastosdouspuntocero.es
Shops
Pazo de Rubiánes, Vilagarcía de Arousa
Classic Galician manor house with botanical garden, arboretum, camellia collection and its own vineyard. pazoderubianes.com
Festa do Albariño, Cambados
Originated by the Zárate family in 1953 and held on the first Sunday in August ever since, this great street party – in honour of the celebrated Rías Baixas’ grape – draws crowds from far and wide. 2 August 2015
Sue Style is into food, wine and travel and writes about all three – sometimes separately, often in combination. She comes originally from Yorkshire and has migrated over the years to London, Madrid, Fontainebleau, Mexico City and Basel. She lives in southern Alsace, within spitting distance of the region’s vineyards and conveniently placed for cross-border raids into Switzerland and across the Rhine to Baden/Germany, both of whose wines and food she explores at every opportunity. She also travels regularly to Catalunya, where both her children have had the good taste to settle. She's the author of nine books on subjects ranging from Mexican food through the food and wines of Alsace and of Switzerland to creative vegetable cookery.