The history of the area dates back to the Celts. In the first century BC, Romans occupied the land. Petín and A Rúa came to prominence as an important river crossing around 77 AD following the completion
of the Via Nova (The Roman road from Braga in Portugal to Astorga in Castile & Leon).
in time. Head for the church: its spire can be seen peering down over rooftops. From here it’s a short walk to the paseo or promenade that runs along the edge of the lake.
The covered terrace of the restaurant O Refuxio in O Aguillón, a district of A Rúa, provides the perfect place from which to enjoy this beautiful setting. All meals are freshly prepared and well worth the wait. On this occasion we chose the homemade hamburgers accompanied with proper chips: quite a rare treat in these parts.
La Caseta.
Martiño, you won’t be disappointed.
With the grapes changing daily my thoughts turn to the harvest. Picking when the grapes reach their optimum ripeness will ultimately determine the quality of the finished wine.
When I first started making wine, 8 years ago, the consensus among my neighbours was that picking began two weeks after Amandi had picked. The Amandi vineyards are among the most prestigious in the Ribeira Sacra DO. Located on the steep valley sides of the river Sil, the grapes benefit from a favourable micro-climate.
These days I determine my own vendimia (grape harvest) date based on science. By testing the grapes for sugar content (brix) and acid levels (acid and pH) I can calculate the optimum ripeness of the grapes.
Over the next few weeks I’ll conduct a weekly test on a sample batch. As ripeness approaches, these tests will become more frequent until ideal levels are reached and we can finally gather in our crop.
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Craig and Melanie own and operate a luxury farmhouse rental property called Campo Verde. To find out more about a stay at Campo Verde and Galicia in general, visit their website getaway-galicia
Craig’s book, Journey To A Dream, is available exclusively from Amazon, to purchase your copy click here for your national Amazon store.
Find out more about Craig, and Galicia or look him up on Facebook