WINEMAKERS SINCE 1920,
DAY BY DAY, YEAR AFTER YEAR…
Bodegas Cunqueiro has been creating great wines for almost a century. Our history begins in the decade of the 20s making wines in a traditional way to supply many taverns and since then we have been maturing and growing day by day with our people, land and culture to achieve what we are today.
A STORY OF ..
Our story begins in the 20’s when Mr. Severino Fernández, alias “O Cunqueiro”, renowned local grape wine owner, elaborated wines in a traditional way in order to supply the numerous taverns of Ourense city, where he earned his fame thanks to the high-quality of his wines.
In the decade of the 60’s and due to migration from rural areas to the cities, Mr. Severino’s wine started to be known and appreciated as well in big cities from Galicia like A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and Vigo.
In the 80’s, the brothers Cesáreo and Benigno Fernández, sons of Mr. Severino, took over the winery, consolidating its presence in Galicia and opening up to the national and international market.
The expansion and technological improvement of the facilities, as well as the elaboration of one of the first monovarietal of Treixadura that was commercialized in Galicia protected by the D.O. Ribeiro, and the only single varietal from Torrontés that is produced in our lands, represented the definitive consecration of Bodegas Cunqueiro as a reference in the production of premium wines.
Currently, four members of the third generation of the Fernández family are in charge of the winery, occupying the key operational areas, such as: production, elaboration, administration and marketing. This keeps the spirit, the family tradition and attachment to the land alive, which are the main factors that have defined Bodegas Cunqueiro since the beginning.
THE SECRET
Plot by plot, with dedication and love, we work around 10 hectares of vineyard, where we cultivate the main local varietals of Ribeiro: Treixadura, Godello, Torrontés, Albariño and Loureira in whites and Mencía, Sousón, Brancellao, Caíño and Ferrol in reds.
The pronounced fragmentation of our plots and a high geographic dispersion create an important handicap due to the shoot-up grape production costs. This could be seen as a negative aspect. However, it is one of our main pillars regarding the differentiation of the wines we make.
Our vineyards are located between 125 and 400 meters in altitude and in different kind of soils: sandy, loam/clay soils, slaty and schists. The majority of them have high acidity and low fertility. This is the reason why we obtain moderate grape capacity. The average age of the grapevines is 45 years old. They are trained in espalier and cane pruned (traditional system of pruning of Ribeiro), with a load per plant between 6 and 8 buds.
All these characteristics, together with the microclimate variability of each one of the plots, give richness to the grapes that we produce and this will be reflected in our wines.
OENOLOGY
The elaboration of our wines can be defined as a perfect harmony between tradition and modernity.
Attachment to a land, little secrets that are taught generation after generation, years of effort, dedication and sacrifice are combined with the most modern oenological techniques with the final purpose of getting the maximum potential out of every cultivated grape varietal. Then, they will be assembled by our winemaker and member of the third generation of wine-producers Oscar Fernández. The result is the creation of wines with a very personal signature, expressive and rich in nuances. With each glass you will be able to tell the essence that makes them possible: our passion for wine and family tradition.
An evolving tradition that will conquer the most demanding palates.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
A BIG PART OF OUR VINEYARDS ARE LOCATED IN AREAS WITH A PURELY SMALLHOLDER PHILOSOPHY. THESE AREAS HAVE THEIR OWN MICROCLIMATE AND THEIR MAIN CHARACTERISTICS ARE SUMMERS WITH VERY HIGH TEMPERATURES THAT CAN REACH UP TO 45ºC, WHICH IS QUITE A PECULIARITY SINCE THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA IS CONSIDERED AS ATLANTIC.
FERNÁNDEZ FAMILY, 3 GENERATIONS OF WINE-PRODUCERS
RIBEIRO
THE OLDEST OF GALICIA AND ONE WITH THE LONGEST HISTORICAL TRADITION IN SPAIN
The vineyard cultivation has always been the main source of wealth and the raison d’être of the region. It is not clear what the origin of the local varietals of Ribeiro was, but it is known, according to Strabo’s statement, that in the second half of the II century before Christ, Ribeiro’s wine was already being elaborated.
Due to the Romans passage through these lands, Ribeiro’s wines were at the emperors’ tables.
It is also importante to mention the Cisterian monks, religious people who settled in San Clodio, at the municipality of Leiro, and built a monastery. Conscious of the huge potential of the Ribeiro, they dedicated their efforts into studying the local varietals, which is now the hallmark of our wines.
Due to its privileged situation, the Ribeiro is favored by the natural barriers that protect the territory from sub-Atlantic depressions and provide a Mediterranean Oceanic climate with warm temperatures that contribute to suitable circumstances for grapevine cultivation. Thus, one of the best white wines of Spain is elaborated in these granite origin soils.
D.O Ribeiro covers a surface of almost 3000 hectares of vineyards, including the municipalities of: Castrelo de Miño, Arnoia, Beade, Ribadavia, Carballeda de Avia, Cenlle, Cortegada, Leiro and Punxín and a part of Boborás, Ourense, Carballiño, San Amaro and Toén.