An idyllic landscape
Low mist often blankets the Bibei river woodland well into the morning. The striking sight of the river, spanned by a Roman bridge, invites retreat and prayer. No wonder monks chose these places for their life of solitude and work. These inaccessible valleys hold many secrets. In the 7th century, seven hermits settled in seven caves on the right bank of the river. After the Muslim invasion, local shepherds, puzzled by the bellowing of their cattle at a certain spot, found an image of the Virgin and Child in a cave. A small chapel to the Virgin was built on the site, and in the 17th century it became the present-day Sanctuary.
History has left its mark on a place rich in cultural, ethnographic and culinary heritage.
The Romans found gold deposits here and were the first to undertake costly engineering works to divert the river and reach its sediments. The old Roman mines of Las Médulas and the Montefurado tunnel are examples. They are also said to have been the first to grow vines in the area, shipping the wine together with lampreys caught in the river to be served at the emperors' tables.
Soil, climate and vineyards
Today, vines are still planted in deep valleys and river gorges, making the harvest an almost heroic task.
The wine's strongest character comes from everything around it: the soil the vines grow in, the surrounding vegetation, the amount of water, and the sky above. The vineyard produces great wine, and its surroundings are fundamental.
The climate is Atlantic, specifically transitional oceanic, with marked seasonal contrasts. Average annual rainfall is 700 mm, concentrated in winter and spring, while summer and autumn are drier, with a wider gap between day and night temperatures. September, the harvest month, is always unpredictable. The strongest winds come from the west and south-west.
On the slopes of the Bibei river there is a great diversity of plant life that helps support the ecosystem: chestnut, oak, lavender, chamomile... The aim is to convey everything around them in the wine, as elegantly and subtly as possible, from the earth the vines stand in to the sky above them.
