The history of the "Rías Baixas" Denomination of Origin dates back from 1980, when the Official Spanish Bulletin (B.O.E.) published the specific "Albariño" denomination of origin on October 11th.

Four years later, on April 30th, the Regulations on the Specific "Albariño" Denomination of Origin and its Regulating Council were approved.

Due to the need to adjust the Spanish legislation to the new European regulations, the Department of Agriculture, Farming and Mounts, in an order issued on March 17th 1988, recognised the "Rías Baixas" Denomination of Origin and on July 4th it issued the Order whereby the Regulations on the Denomination of Origin and its Regulating Council were approved, and later ratified by a Ministerial Order from July 28th 1988.

In its short history, the sector of the Rías Baixas Denomination of origin learnt to evolve in an organised and logical manner, and thus from 1987 to 2001 it experienced the following transformations: the original 492 winegrowers became 5,059; the number of wine cellars went from 14 to 161 and the number of vine hectares from 237 to 2,408.

This evolution is also reflected in the extension of areas where the denomination of origin is applicable. In 1988 the Rías Baixas Denomination of Origin consisted of 3 individual and well delimited areas in the Province of Pontevedra: Val do Salnés, Condado do Tea and O Rosal. In October 1996 Soutomaior was included and in May 2000 Ribeira do Ulla was also accepted.
Origin: natural environment

The Rías Baixas Denomination of Origin encompasses a series of areas in Galicia with common physical conditions that are responsible for the quality of the wines produced therein.

They are mostly flat lands, with an average height of 300 metres, close to the sea and usually crossed by the lower course of different rivers. Therefore the weather conditions are of Atlantic nature, in other words, mild temperatures and heavy and adequately distributed rainfalls, although the weather tends to get drier during the summer season.
These weather conditions together with the soil morphology - poor, acid, sandy and thin - convey the grapes protected under this Denomination of Origin a very peculiar aroma and freshness.