O Estranxeiro Ribeira Sacra Mencía 2022

Eulogio Pomares spent years redefining what Albariño could express at Zárate, one of Galicia's most respected estates. Then he turned his sights to Mencía.

This is the Spanish red for Pinot Noir and light Rhône drinkers: bright, savory, mineral, and built more on energy than weight. O Estranxeiro comes from Ribeira Sacra, where Mencía grows on steep river terraces that have to be worked by hand.

Expect wild cherry, raspberry, violet, herbs, and a stony, almost iron-like edge. The fruit is fresh and lifted, but there is enough tannin and mineral depth to keep it from feeling simple. Serve it slightly cool with grilled pork, mushrooms, roast chicken, or anything that wants a red with freshness instead of heaviness.

Quick Facts

• Region: DO Ribeira Sacra, Galicia, Spain
• Variety: 100% Mencía
• Style: Dry red, fresh and lively, low extraction, floral and mineral-driven
• Best For: Summer grilling, wine-curious guests exploring Spanish red, Galician thread pairing with La Caña Navia
• ABV: 13%
• Farming: Certified organic
• Drinking Window: Drinking well now through 2028

Why We Love It

The name means 'The Foreigner' in Galician — Pomares came from Rías Baixas to farm on granite terraces above river gorges, and brought the same instinct for freshness and terroir precision that defines his Albariño work. This is the red wine that resolves the argument the Spain flight makes: northern Atlantic Galicia produces wines worth knowing at every category, including a summer red worth putting in the fridge. The winemaker who helped redefine Galician white wine came inland to make this, and it shows.

Featured at our Spain: Vinos del Verano Flight — June 2026.

Tasting Profile

Fresh and lively where most Spanish red is warm and extracted — round tannins, floral lift, and a savory iron note that earns its place at the table.

• Aroma: Wild cherry, crushed raspberry, deep blue fruit, violet, fresh herbs
• Palate (Flavor): Wild berry, pomegranate, Mediterranean herbs, iron and wet stone mid-palate, savory depth
• Structure & Finish (Mouthfeel): Medium body, moderate acidity, round and approachable tannins, mineral finish with lingering savory note. No oak extraction character.

Winemaking

Native yeast fermentation in chestnut foudres and concrete tanks for approximately 20 days, a vessel combination that preserves the variety's floral aromatics while building texture. Aged seven months in the same containers alongside large used oak botti — the neutral wood adds structure without extractive oak character, which is what keeps the Mencía's fruit and iron notes in the foreground. No SO2 added during winemaking; minimal dose at bottling. Bottled February 2024 from 13,400 bottles of the 2022 vintage.

Serving & Pairing

Serve at 58–62°F. Put this in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before opening. The fresh acidity and floral character amplify at the right temperature; at room temperature the fruit can flatten.

Best with grilled lamb chops, roast chicken with herbs, cured meats, hard cheeses, and anything off a summer grill. The round tannins and moderate acidity make this flexible across a range of foods.

Perfect For: summer grilling, outdoor entertaining, dinner parties, patio wine, food-driven gifting, exploring Spain beyond Rioja, bottle-and-board evenings, weeknight dinners

Drinking Window

Drinking well now and through 2028. The 2022 vintage shows good integration at this stage, with the fruit, iron, and herbal notes in balance. No particular benefit to extended cellaring, though the tannin structure will soften pleasantly over the next two years.

Estate Overview

O Estranxeiro ('The Foreigner' in Galician) is the Ribeira Sacra project launched in 2019 by Eulogio Pomares and his wife Rebeca Montero. Pomares built his reputation at Bodegas Zárate in Rías Baixas, where his single-vineyard, old-vine Albariños helped redefine what Galician white wine could express. His decision to move inland and farm the steep granite terraces of Ribeira Sacra reflects the same orientation: specific sites, minimal intervention, native variety expression. The estate farms in two zones along the Miño and Sil river gorges, all hand-worked on slopes that cannot be mechanized, under certified organic management. Polaner Selections imports the wine into the US. Petit Philippe carries O Estranxeiro because it closes the Galician argument this flight makes: the same winemaking intelligence that produced some of Rías Baixas's most respected Albariños is now bringing the same precision to Ribeira Sacra's red wines.

Terroir (Place)

DO Ribeira Sacra occupies dramatic granite and slate terraces cut into the gorges of the Miño and Sil rivers in inland Galicia. Viticulture here is among the most labor-intensive in Spain: slopes are too steep to mechanize, all work is done by hand, and the terraces themselves are cut from solid granite. O Estranxeiro draws from two zones: the Ribeiras do Miño (A Cova and Doade parcels) and the Amandi subzone. Vine age ranges from 20 to 80 years across the parcels. Granite and slate substrates produce wines with natural mineral tension, fresh acidity, and the kind of iron and wet stone notes that appear consistently across the appellation. The combination of altitude, river influence, and Atlantic air from the Galician coast produces a growing environment significantly cooler than the Spanish interior, which is what makes Mencía here so structurally different from Tempranillo further east.