In northwestern Spain, in the province of Ourense, there is an ancient Roman road linking Braga (in Portugal) with Astorga (in León). This route, built by Vespasian and his son Titus between 79 and 80 years, crosses part of the D.O. Valdeorras and is full of vineyards planted with Mencía, Garnacha and Mouratón. With these three varieties, Viñedos Somoza produces Viña Somoza Vía XVIII, a red wine that is their tribute to this ancient journey.
The amazing variety and mixture of soils is the great distinguishing feature of Viña Somoza Vía XVIII, where clay soils, sandy soils, alluvial soils, black slate and red slate meet. In this terrain, where rivers and valleys have a very prominent role to play, there are many steep slopes, forming a complicated landscape, where the vines are forced to grow between 400 and 550 metres above sea level. In this location, considered the least humid in Galicia, temperatures and humidity are usually moderate, creating a very specific microclimate that guarantees the grapes ripen properly.
With these conditions, where the slopes and altitude are always there, the harvest becomes an adventure; even so, it is carried out manually, in 15 kg boxes, where the best bunches are carefully selected. The rest of the work is done quickly, on the same day, to ensure that Viña Somoza Vía XVIII is produced in the best conditions. Some of the harvest is destemmed, while the rest is processed in whole bunches, fermenting spontaneously in French oak barrels. Finally, Viña Somoza Vía XVIII is left to rest on its lees for 11 months, without stirring or batonnage, allowing this red wine to be impregnated with all the character of these historic vineyards.