Galicia is a land of excellent wines, but perhaps not as well known and recognised as it should be. According to a study published in 2019 by the Economic Forum of Galicia (FEG), smallholdings are the main reason why the wine sector in this community in northwestern Spain is unable to take off. Almost two thirds of Galician plots are less than 0.5 hectares in size, which makes large production volumes very difficult. Some producers and winemakers, like Manuel Otero, who set out to change this in 1965, have already faced this old problem in the area. To work on his mission, he bought Tremoedo, a 14-hectare estate, 3 km from Cambados (in the heart of the Salnés Valley), planted with Albariño (the area’s native variety). This innovative and ambitious idea gave birth to the Granbazán winery, a current benchmark in the D.O. Rías Baixas. Among their wines is Granbazán Contrapunto, the youngest of the five they currently sell.
The work in the vineyard and the care of the vine are the foundations of Granbazán, where they have worked hard to study the cycles of the Albariño. The variety grows on trellises, at a height of 1.80 metres, which is so typical of this area. The main reason for this is that this training system allows both the leaves and the bunches to be well aerated, avoiding diseases and fungi that can result from the humidity and high rainfall that is common in the area. At ground level this abundance of water is also managed with the slopes, where the water drains in the granitic soil. The vineyard, facing east and at an altitude of 100 metres above sea level, is divided into micro-plots where a great effort is made to find its potential.
In the winery, winemaking is minimally invasive, always emphasising the terroir. The facilities are modern, with state-of-the-art stainless steel tanks, presses and maceration tanks. This last point, together with aging in French oak barrels, is one of Granbazán’s strong points, and makes it one of the pioneers in the area in both processes. To make Granbazán Contrapunto, the grapes are harvested by hand, selecting only the best bunches, which are destemmed and cold macerated. Granbazán Contrapunto ferments in stainless steel tanks and spends three months resting. This time is sufficient to decant the small substances and particles. After this, Granbazán Contrapunto is bottled.
More than 20 years ago, Bodegas Granbazán was the leader of one of the most important Galician agro-industrial revolutions. It is still a benchmark in innovation and new winemaking methods both in the vineyard and in the winery.