Do Ferreiro Orujo at the cellar door ★ 4.4
8 by the glassCastrelo, Meano
Bodegas Gerardo Mendez (Do Ferreiro) distils a small-batch Do Ferreiro Orujo de Galicia from the bodega's Albarino pomace. The traditional copper-alquitara orujo is the Galician fortified-spirit specialty alongside the bodega's pre-phylloxera Albarino.
The list: Estate Albarino plus the small-batch Do Ferreiro Orujo de Galicia distilled from estate pomace
Tip: Orujo is sold mostly through the cellar door; ask whether the current batch is bottled and available for tasting.
Queimada nights in Cambados and Pontevedra ★ 4.3
6 by the glassCasco Vello, Cambados and Pontevedra
Queimada is the Galician communal ritual of setting orujo on fire with citrus peel, sugar and ground coffee in a clay pot, accompanied by the conxuro spell-reading.
The list: Communal queimada ritual brewed from Galician orujo with citrus peel, sugar and ground coffee, set alight and read with the conxuro
Tip: Queimada is more common in autumn and winter and around the Noite de San Xoan (23 June). Ask local bars whether they run a queimada night.
Ribeira de Fefinans late Albarino flight ★ 4.6
30 by the glassRibeira de Fefinans, Cambados
The Ribeira de Fefinans vinoteca runs late evening guided flights from its 500-bottle list, comparing Albarino across subzones and ageing styles. The most serious late-evening tasting in Cambados.
The list: Late-evening guided Albarino flights drawn from the vinoteca's 500-bottle list, including library back-vintages
Tip: Ask for a five-glass flight across the five subzones of Rias Baixas; the staff are deep enough to put it together on request.
Vinoteca Bagos winemaker tasting evenings ★ 4.5
25 by the glassCasco Vello, Pontevedra
Vinoteca Bagos organises occasional guided tastings with the participation of producers and enologists, often visiting Rias Baixas winemakers. The events are the best way to taste current releases with the maker present.
The list: Guided themed tastings, often with the participation of producers and enologists from Rias Baixas and beyond
Tip: Check the Vinoteca Bagos events calendar; producer tastings are typically held early evening on weekdays and run late into dinner service.
Mar de Frades Brut Nature tasting at the bodega ★ 4.3
8 by the glassMeis, Val do Salnes
Mar de Frades in Meis is the only Rias Baixas bodega with a dedicated traditional-method sparkling programme. The Brut Nature is a 100 percent Albarino traditional-method espumoso, the first of its kind in the DO.
The list: 100 percent Albarino traditional-method sparkling (the first Albarino espumoso in Rias Baixas) plus the Atlantico still Albarino
Tip: The Brut Nature is zero-dosage, dry and saline, and serves best between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius with raw shellfish.
Festa do Vino Espumoso, Salvaterra do Mino ★ 4.1
12 by the glassSalvaterra do Mino, Condado do Tea
Annual December festival inside the medieval Salvaterra do Mino fortress, dedicated specifically to Galician traditional-method sparkling wines. The natural counterpart to the August Condado still-wine festival.
The list: Galician traditional-method sparkling wines from Condado do Tea and Salnes producers, poured inside the fortress galleries
Tip: December festival inside the medieval Fortress of Salvaterra; bring layers because the galleries are cold.