More about Abadia Da Cova

Ribeira Sacra is one of the (many) wine regions around the world where outsiders can’t help but wonder “What crazy person planted vines here in the first place?” Vines grow on precipitous slopes perched high above the Minho and Sil rivers, occasionally even dipping into the water. It’s humid all the time, rainy most of the time, and nearly all work is done entirely by hand.

Sadly, it’s also the kind of wine region — like the Sierra de Gredos outside of Madrid, or the tiny villages of Alto Piemonte — being slowly abandoned. Though vines have grown here for centuries, and probably since the Romans, phylloxera dealt an especially severe blow; by the time grafting techniques were established, too many locals had migrated to Spain’s larger cities.

We’re very excited to present one of the region’s many small, family-run producers to you today: Abadia da Cova. This family-run estate is currently helmed by four cousins: brothers José and Miguel and siblings Paloma and Adrián. Miguel previously made wine at such famed estates as at Comando G, Leflaive, Smith Lafite and Bodegas Chacra.

The Moure family has a long history in Ribeira Sacra, and actually produced one of the region’s first white wines, a varietal Albariño borne out of great love for the expressions found in Rías Baixas. This was back in the ‘60s, long before the DO was established in 1996. “Volta” is a salty, mineral-driven wine with an incredibly long finish, a delightfully granite-inflected twist on a beloved variety.

The family also purchases grapes from their neighbors, smaller growers who have historically sold off grapes rather than make their own wines. The vast majority of these growers are now at (or past) retirement age, but continue working the vines for the sake of tradition.