Altos de Torona, the largest vineyard in Rías Baixas

The winery has won international awards for its range of wines, which include 100% Albariños, multi-varietal wines typical of O Rosal, a Godello and white wines produced in oak barrels

Altos de Torona, the largest vineyard in Rías Baixas

The Altos de Torona vineyard, in the foreground, is located a few kilometres from the river Miño and the Atlantic Ocean. / Pictures: Altos de Torona.

The Altos de Torona vineyard, located in Vilachan (Tomiño, Pontevedra), is unique in the panorama of Galician viticulture, identified by smallholdings. There are nearly a hundred hectares in a single estate, making it the largest vineyard in the Rias Baixas. The plot was planted around 2000, after the HGA group completed the purchase of private land and an agreement with a forestry community.

The location of the vineyard, located mid-slope, about 200-300 metres above sea level, is south facing and next to the mouth of the river Miño, and was thought to be suitable for wine production. Time is confirming the potential of the vineyard, as international awards have been forthcoming in the past few years.

Terraced structure of the estate.

Terraced structure of the estate.

The estate was mainly planted with Albariño, although the decision was also taken to maintain the distinguishing sign of the wines of the sub-zone of O Rosal (DO Rías Baixas), characterised by the use of other varieties of white grapes. The Altos de Torona Rosal 2013, an Albariño that includes small percentages of Loureiro and Caiño Blanco, was distinguished as being the best white in Spain at the International Wine Challenge 2014, one of the most important competitions at international level.

“Altos de Torona Rosal is a fruity wine, with a sweet touch and a soft palate that makes it different from the traditional 100% Albariños”

“Altos de Torona Rosal is a fruity wine, with a sweet touch and a soft palate that makes it different from the traditional 100% Albariños” they explain at the winery.

The 2017 edition of the International Wine Challenge, which is held in London, gave another six awards to Altos de Torona, the most important being the gold medal for Altos de Torona Albariño 2016, a young 100% Albariño grown on the Vilachan estate, in Tomino.

Another of the company’s Albariños is Pazo de Villarei, produced from grapes that are bought from Salnés winegrowers who had already been regularly working with that brand.

Markets
The winery is characterised by offering a wide range of wines, in search of different types of consumers and restaurant markets. The result of this concern to innovate is the Albariños in French oak barrels and on lees. One of the first 100% Godellos of Rias Baixas was also theirs and they also produce red wines from the Brancellao, Sousón and Caiño Tinto varieties.

“The Altos de Torona Barrel, 100% Albariño has a reduced production (1,500 bottles), but there are consumers who are beginning to ask for whites from the barrel. We can produce these minority wines because we have a winery and a team ready for these innovations,” Oscar Martínez emphasizes.

View of the plot.

View of the plot.

Altos de Torona sells about half of its production in Galicia, while the rest is distributed among other areas of Spain and for export. “The growth potential of Albariño and our winery in particular is immense both in Spain and at international level,” they highlight at the winery, which has the Galicia Calidade seal and that stresses the international prestige attained by the DO Rias Baixas.

HGA Group

Altos de Toronas is owned by the HGA group, with another winery in the Ribeira Sacra denomination of origin, Regina Viarum, which allows it to complement the offering of Rías Baixas Albariño white wines with the Mencias of the Ribeira Sacra. In addition to having two own wineries, Altos de Torona and Regina Viarum, the group also produces wines in other denominations from agreements with various wineries.

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