Vino de Barrantes Wine Fair - 3rd June 2023
The family of Xurxo Alba, one of Galicia’s most prominent winemakers, also nurture hybrid vines and serve this ‘pintalabios’ in the family grocery store as they have done for generations.
Only six months to go to this year’s Festa do Tinto do Salnés in Barrantes, an exaltation of the famous Tinto do Salnés or Tinto de Barrantes. This exceedingly fruity wine is a deep violet tinged, blackcurrant red colour, and quite tart on the palate. Drunk from traditional white porcelain bowls or cuncas, its teeth, gum and lip staining qualities earn it the name of pintalabios (lipstick), enflaming the passions of Galicians for decades and even charming sophisticated wine gurus in more recent times.
Tinto do Salnés is made from the grapes of a hybrid, often referred to by local growers as Folla Redonda (Round Leaf). It was created in the late 19th century and early 20th century in the wake of the catastrophic destruction caused by the phylloxera bug, ‘imported’ from America in the 1870s. After a day tasting some incredible Albariño with Honorio Noya at the very swish Veiga Serantes winery in Ribadumia-Barrantes, we felt that the day wouldn’t be complete without relishing a few cuncas of Tinto Barrantes over an excellent ‘homage’ of ‘pulpo á feira’ (Galician style octopus) at Restaurante Tío Benito, a venerable institution whose patrons range from humble farmers to the rich and famous.
During the month of May, a team of professional tasters visit tiny vineyards and ‘furanchos’ the local word for a place to drink and buy what is essentially home-made wine. Their licence permits them to trade from April 1st through to June 30th then they have to close till the next season. The wines can be sold unlabelled in bottles, demijohns and even, shock horror, plastic water bottles. Bring your own flagon!
While at the furancho you can order simple fare such as cheese, ham, empanada (fish or meat pie) and top notch tinned seafood such as cockles, baby sardines, pickled clams, queen scallops and mussels to go with your Barrantes wine. They are also superb places to get to know the local folk and are located in village stores, private homes, but more often than not in converted garages or outhouses. So how do you find them? Look out for signs nailed to a tree or garage door that say ‘Véndese Viño’ and a few bay tree branches hanging upside down from the garage door or outer wall. A concentration of cars outside is also a tell-tale sign.
Back to the festival.
The best wines of the vintage are painstakingly narrowed down from around two hundred and fifty entries to just three and duly awarded gold, silver and bronze medals. These are presented to the proud winemakers at the ‘xantar’ (big confraternal lunch) that’s held on the Sunday. This most ‘jolgorioso’ (big party atmosphere) of events is held in the Carballeira de Barrantes where the cosecheros (winemakers) have their stands, with live music and as always in Galicia, stalls that sell the omnipresent ‘pulpo a féira’ (octopus with hot paprika, salt and olive oil) and ’empanada’ (a kind of pie), which is as Galician as the strolling bagpipers you’ll see throughout the weekend.
Those that fancy some first class Albariño action amidst all the tinto de barrantes can arrange an appointment with Honorio Noya at Veiga Serantes, which is signposted and just a close walk from the village itself. Marvellous accommodation available here too.
Contact: http://www.veigaserantes.com