A. Ceara Castas Blancas

A Seara Castes Brancas 2023

Region : Spain, Galicia

Grape : Treixadura 55%, Godello 25%, Albariño 5%, Loureiro 5%, Torrontes 5%, Dona Branca 5%

Color : White

I take my hat off to this exquisite blend of indigenous grape varieties, too many to remember.

I beam at the new arrival of my favorite type of white wine. It's mineral and the umami is excellent, and perhaps due to the commitment to this blend, it has a complex flavor that is anything but straightforward. The price and naturalness are also pleasing ◎

Six white grape varieties, 49 years old, planted in granite and schist soils, harvested in late August, destemmed and pressed, then fermented and aged in 25hl concrete tanks. No added SO2.

【Producer Information】

A self-made female winemaker who brings out the unique character of co-planting and co-fermentation in DO Ribeiro

Galicia is one of Spain's autonomous communities, located in northwestern Spain, bordering Portugal to the south, Asturias and Castilla y León to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea along 1490 kilometers of coastline to the north and west.
The climate is mild throughout the year, with temperatures rarely falling below 8 degrees Celsius even in the coldest months. It rains throughout the year, and annual precipitation is abundant. Unlike inland Spain, due to the maritime climate, untouched green forests remain, and the interior of the region consists of gently rolling mountains with relatively high elevations, becoming higher towards the east, with the Terra Chá plateau in the north.
There are no large rivers, but countless small rivers crisscross the region. While the mountains are not steep, the inland population is sparse, and development has been slow, unfortunately leading to depopulation and a decline in agriculture.

Iria Otero Masoi is a native Galician, born and raised in Galicia. In her family, her father always prepared delicious wine for the dinner table, so she grew up accustomed to wine from a young age, watching her parents enjoy delicious wine at meals.
Although she grew up in a family unrelated to viticulture or winemaking, she was raised with a strong sense of independence, so that she could make a living on her own even as a woman. If her parents had had a completely different educational philosophy, perhaps a wonderful female winemaker would never have been born.

During her student days, Iria was captivated by the natural beauty and delicious wines of Ribeiro during her summer vacation. Although she was studying pharmacy at university, she later switched to enology and began studying winemaking. She then moved to Rioja to pursue her doctorate. The theme of her thesis at the time was "The Relationship between Acidity and Canopy Control." After moving to Rioja, she was eager to get involved in winemaking, so she started working at a winery while still a student, beginning with grunt work in winemaking. Several years later, she was promoted to head winemaker. The production volume had increased tenfold since she joined, and her skills and experience grew significantly. In 2009, she returned to Galicia to complete her doctorate, and after obtaining it, she joined a cooperative in Rías Baixas.

She says that working there, where tons of grapes were brought in annually from various parts of Rías Baixas, was a valuable experience for learning about the characteristics of each area and plot.
However, the winemaking at the Rías Baixas cooperative and the winemaking she experienced in Rioja were very different from what Iria aimed for.
After leaving that job, she joined Dominio de Bibei, a leading winery in Ribeira Sacra, as a sales expert. This time, she left the bodega and began traveling the world.
Having thus honed her international sensibility and sales acumen, and gained sufficient experience, Iria left Dominio de Bibei to pursue a calmer life centered on family. Based on her accumulated experience, she launched her own project in 2015. She established a cute, small stone residence and cellar in her beloved Ribeiro and began making wine there.

For white grapes, she uses Treixadura, Godello, Loureira, Torrontes, Caiño Blanco, etc.
For red grapes, she uses Caiño Longo, Caiño Tinto, Sousón, Mencía, Merenzao, Brancellao, Ferral, etc.
Many of her vineyards are co-planted, and many of her cuvées are co-fermented, resulting in complex and diverse flavors, requiring precise timing for harvesting and a keen winemaking sensibility.
Furthermore, she is actually severely allergic to sulfites and strongly dislikes wines containing sulfites, even for tasting. Most of the wines made in her home bodega in Ribeiro do not have sulfites added until bottling (though she does carefully monitor the wine's condition during fermentation), which also allows her to taste them. Most wines have a very small amount of sulfites added just before bottling.

Iria's wines naturally express the characteristics of the vineyard and the nature of Galicia, while also possessing high quality and distinct character supported by solid technique and experience. This likely stems from her own personality and the aforementioned background. With clear goals and a strong will to pursue them, Iria has walked the path of one of Spain's few self-made female winemakers.
Like her wines, she is a woman of deep compassion and breadth, energetic, strong yet very flexible, and very cheerful.