Fedellos do Couto
The Ribeira Sacra is the wild and unspoiled context that welcomes Fedellos do Couto, a young artisanal winery intent on highlighting the peculiar expression of the terroir. In this wine-growing area of eastern Galicia, since 2017, the Madrid winemakers Curro Bareño and Jesús Olivares have been cultivating 7 hectares of vines, challenging the almost vertical slopes that make this territory one of the most difficult in the entire global wine landscape. The winemaking tradition of this land is quite ancient, dating back to the time of Ancient Roman rule. Regarding the etymology of the name, the Galician term “Fedellos” means “mischievous”, while “Couto” identifies the place where the winery produced its first bottles.
Characterized by a climate more continental-mediterranean than atlantic, marked by high daily temperature fluctuations and the constant presence of breezes, the Ribeira Sacra is known as one of the most challenging wine-growing contexts. In fact, the steep hills that overlook narrow gorges crossed by rivers, imposed, centuries ago, the realization of terraces called “bancadas”. The grape varieties cultivated by Curro and Jesús are those typical of the area, such as Mencia, Bastardo (Trousseau), Godello, Doña Blanca, Albariño, Treixadura, and Lado, and consist of vines aged between 30 and 75 years, located between 350 and 700 meters above sea level. The pedological characteristics are also quite variable, with soils of granite, schist, and limestone. In the winery, they seek to favor the expression of the territory, with long spontaneous fermentations and aging in cement or old French oak barrels.
The great wealth of grape varieties, soils, microclimates, altitudes, and exposures that distinguish the plots of Fedellos de Couto is the basis of the sublime balance of their wines. Although being one of the highest quality wineries in the Ribeira Sacra, the labels of Fedellos do Couto, due to their unconventional style, have been rejected by the consortium and thus deprived of the designation of origin.Freshness, minerality, and character represent the attributes that best describe their range of wines.
The Ribeira Sacra is the wild and unspoiled context that welcomes Fedellos do Couto, a young artisanal winery intent on highlighting the peculiar expression of the terroir. In this wine-growing area of eastern Galicia, since 2017, the Madrid winemakers Curro Bareño and Jesús Olivares have been cultivating 7 hectares of vines, challenging the almost vertical slopes that make this territory one of the most difficult in the entire global wine landscape. The winemaking tradition of this land is quite ancient, dating back to the time of Ancient Roman rule. Regarding the etymology of the name, the Galician term “Fedellos” means “mischievous”, while “Couto” identifies the place where the winery produced its first bottles.
Characterized by a climate more continental-mediterranean than atlantic, marked by high daily temperature fluctuations and the constant presence of breezes, the Ribeira Sacra is known as one of the most challenging wine-growing contexts. In fact, the steep hills that overlook narrow gorges crossed by rivers, imposed, centuries ago, the realization of terraces called “bancadas”. The grape varieties cultivated by Curro and Jesús are those typical of the area, such as Mencia, Bastardo (Trousseau), Godello, Doña Blanca, Albariño, Treixadura, and Lado, and consist of vines aged between 30 and 75 years, located between 350 and 700 meters above sea level. The pedological characteristics are also quite variable, with soils of granite, schist, and limestone. In the winery, they seek to favor the expression of the territory, with long spontaneous fermentations and aging in cement or old French oak barrels.
The great wealth of grape varieties, soils, microclimates, altitudes, and exposures that distinguish the plots of Fedellos de Couto is the basis of the sublime balance of their wines. Although being one of the highest quality wineries in the Ribeira Sacra, the labels of Fedellos do Couto, due to their unconventional style, have been rejected by the consortium and thus deprived of the designation of origin.Freshness, minerality, and character represent the attributes that best describe their range of wines.
