Jimmy's Best of Rias Baixas, Galicia

Wine school founder Jimmy Smith (Wine With Jimmy) travels to Galicia every year, and was welcomed by the DO (Denominación de Origen) Rías Baixas in May 2025 for a rather enjoyable immersive experience in all things Galician. Working alongside the DO Jimmy has selected his favourite drops from his last two visits covering a exceptional line-up including a variety of Albariño, but also the lesser known varietals such as Brancellao. It's a very exciting tasting where the full beauty of Albariño will be explored including non-oaked, oaked, lees-aged, granite-fermented and aged expressions to really show you the diversity of this legendary grape variety.

Rías Baixas
Rías Baixas, located in the cool, misty region of Galicia in northwestern Spain, is the heartland of Albariño and one of the country’s most celebrated white wine appellations. Named after the coastal estuaries (rías) that shape the region’s rugged Atlantic shoreline, Rías Baixas is known for its unique combination of oceanic influence, granite-rich soils, and lush, green landscapes—ideal conditions for producing crisp, aromatic white wines with a distinct sense of place. The region’s signature grape, Albariño, thrives in this maritime climate, yielding wines that are fresh, vibrant, and intensely aromatic. Divided into five subzone; Val do Salnés, Condado do Tea, O Rosal, Soutomaior, and Ribeira do Ulla—Rías Baixas offers stylistic diversity within a cohesive identity centered on freshness and elegance. As Spain’s premier white wine DO, Rías Baixas has gained global recognition for producing wines that are not only quintessential partners to seafood, but also compelling expressions of coastal viticulture.

Albariño
Albariño (pronounced al-ba-REE-nyo) is a highly regarded white grape variety known for producing fresh, aromatic wines that beautifully capture the essence of the Atlantic coast. Indigenous to the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, Albariño is most famously associated with the Rías Baixas region of Galicia in Spain, though it is also cultivated in Portugal—where it's called Alvarinho—and increasingly in wine regions around the world, including the U.S., New Zealand, and Uruguay.

Albariño wines are celebrated for their vibrant acidity, light-to-medium body, and expressive aromas of citrus, stone fruits like peach and apricot, and floral and saline notes. These characteristics make them a natural partner for seafood, echoing the grape’s maritime origins. The wines can be enjoyed young for their zesty freshness, though some winemakers experiment with lees aging or oak influence to add complexity and texture.

Wine Tasting List (8 wines)

Wine school founder Jimmy Smith (Wine With Jimmy) travels to Galicia every year, and was welcomed by the DO (Denominación de Origen) Rías Baixas in May 2025 for a rather enjoyable immersive experience in all things Galician. Working alongside the DO Jimmy has selected his favourite drops from his last two visits covering a exceptional line-up including a variety of Albariño, but also the lesser known varietals such as Brancellao. It's a very exciting tasting where the full beauty of Albariño will be explored including non-oaked, oaked, lees-aged, granite-fermented and aged expressions to really show you the diversity of this legendary grape variety.

Rías Baixas
Rías Baixas, located in the cool, misty region of Galicia in northwestern Spain, is the heartland of Albariño and one of the country’s most celebrated white wine appellations. Named after the coastal estuaries (rías) that shape the region’s rugged Atlantic shoreline, Rías Baixas is known for its unique combination of oceanic influence, granite-rich soils, and lush, green landscapes—ideal conditions for producing crisp, aromatic white wines with a distinct sense of place. The region’s signature grape, Albariño, thrives in this maritime climate, yielding wines that are fresh, vibrant, and intensely aromatic. Divided into five subzone; Val do Salnés, Condado do Tea, O Rosal, Soutomaior, and Ribeira do Ulla—Rías Baixas offers stylistic diversity within a cohesive identity centered on freshness and elegance. As Spain’s premier white wine DO, Rías Baixas has gained global recognition for producing wines that are not only quintessential partners to seafood, but also compelling expressions of coastal viticulture.

Albariño
Albariño (pronounced al-ba-REE-nyo) is a highly regarded white grape variety known for producing fresh, aromatic wines that beautifully capture the essence of the Atlantic coast. Indigenous to the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, Albariño is most famously associated with the Rías Baixas region of Galicia in Spain, though it is also cultivated in Portugal—where it's called Alvarinho—and increasingly in wine regions around the world, including the U.S., New Zealand, and Uruguay.

Albariño wines are celebrated for their vibrant acidity, light-to-medium body, and expressive aromas of citrus, stone fruits like peach and apricot, and floral and saline notes. These characteristics make them a natural partner for seafood, echoing the grape’s maritime origins. The wines can be enjoyed young for their zesty freshness, though some winemakers experiment with lees aging or oak influence to add complexity and texture.

Wine Tasting List (8 wines)