If the jaw-dropping scenery, stunning medieval buildings and gorgeous Galician food of Ribeira Sacra weren't enough, the wine is pretty good too...

• The main grape variety here is Mencía, which you’ll also find down the road in Bierzo. It's closer to the Atlantic coast here so you get a fresher and more elegant style of red
• The combination of granite and slate soils give the wines great depth and complexity - usually at a very gluggable 12-13% alcohol
• And you can't but admire the human achievement to make great wine from the land here. It’s harsh, steep and remote - they’ve been refining their craft for hundreds of years.

Given the conditions, it’s a region of small, fragmented production. So you need to know the best producers, and Carlos Rodríguez is right up there in Ribeira Sacra.

After 20 years’ consulting for big wineries in Rioja, he started his own project called Aba Solleira in 2017, where his wife Emi and her family are from.

The 2019 was their third vintage, and shows you exactly what good Mencía from a cooler and more classic Atlantic vintage looks like.

You get lovely peppery and violet aromas on the nose, and on the palate it’s elegant, smooth and perfumed, all at a delightful 12% alcohol. Beaujolais lovers rejoice!