Dominio do Bibei is one of the most ambitious projects in Spain. Its main aim is to craft artisan wines capable of expressing the Ribera sacra appellation terroir through the most natural winemaking approach.
Ribera sacra is a Galicia appellation in northwest Spain. The area has steep slopes and terraced vineyards. The grapevine ages vary from 15-100 years and are 300-670 metres above sea level, where the soils have slate and granite with clay texture, organic matter, and some acidity. Comino do Bibei cultivates albarino, souson, godello, mouraton, brancellao, garnacha, and mencia grapes.
Dominio do Bibei winery was conceived in 2000, and it is situated in Manzaneda Ourense. This region is very beautiful. This motivated the winery to be built underground to reduce impact on the regions look. There are bioclimatic systems used to help with the cooling processes. The natural land slopes are utilized for the vinification process, which is gravity powered.
At the winery, pure wine marking processes are used, as is the tradition in the Ribera Sacra region in Spain. This region had been chosen by monks for hard work and prayer. This is also the same area where revolutionary hydraulic engineering was used by ancient Romans to help with mine exploration in Montefurado and Medulas. It was during the roman times that winemaking was introduced in the region.
At Dominio do Bibei, elegant and new wines are introduced from time to time. New grape varieties are also added to the production. The grapes are affected by the Atlantic terroir. The vineyards soils are toned by the winemakers. The terrain in Ribeira sacra is quite rugged, and this is where the vineyards were cut in a staggered and terraced fashion.
The first presentation of Dominio do Bibei wine was done in 2002, and great progress has been achieved over the years. The main variety of grapes used to make artesian wines are either godello or Mercia grapes. There are also some varietal lacima and lapena grapes used.
http://www.dominiodobibei.com
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