Northwest Spain
JUNE 2026
Spain's region of Galicia (in the northwest corner of the country above Portugal) is home to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the end destination for what's known as the Camino de Santiago, a series of medieval pilgrimage routes that attracts several hundred thousand pilgrims annually and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Fun fact: the wine regions for your club wines are all on Camino routes as you approach Santiago de Compostela – a white from Rías Baixas in Galacia and two reds from Castilla y León, one from the little-known region of Beirzo and a second from Ribera del Duero. These wines will take you there – get ready!
Photos top: Bodegas Santiago Ruiz (Rias Baixas) & Atlantic coast 10 minutes away / Photo above left: the steep vineyards of Descendientes de J. Palacios (Bierzo) / above right: Coto de Caleruega vineyards (Ribera del Duero)
2-BOTTLE CLUB
Bodegas Santiago Ruiz
Rías Baixas (Galicia)
Rías Biaxas is a coastal region in southwest Galicia, famous for producing the white wine Albariño, which is grown on parrales, a trellis system that gives the grapes maximum sun exposure. With vineyards near the ocean, the climate is moderate with plentiful rain & fog. Pilgrims heading north on the Camino from Portugal, walk through Rías Baixas on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
Santiago Ruiz is considered the 'father of Albariño' in Spain. He was in retirement when he founded his winery in 1978, and at the age of 70, he began his life's work of spreading his vision of the importance of Spain's native grapes and in particular his local, indigenous grape – Albariño – which he believed to be a world class white wine. He travelled "the length and breadth of Spain (mostly on foot), with the clear objective of heightening awareness of Rías Baixas among the most select restaurateurs and opinion leaders of the early 1980’s." He was clearly quite a salesman, as Albariño has steadily risen in popularity over the last decades. Today, his daughter Rosa Ruiz oversees the winery.
Bodegas Santiago Ruiz 2025 Blanco
Rías Biaxas, Spain • Reg $29.99 | Mixed Case $23.99
This blend of Albariño, Loureiro, Godello, Treixadura, Caiño Blanco has all five native white grapes found in Rías Biaxas. As well, the vineyards are located in O Rosal, the sub-region that "enjoys the most exceptional conditions found in the Rias Baixas DO, thanks to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the Miño River." –winery's notes.
Floral on the nose with apples, pears, apricots. Flavors of wet stone, unripe stone fruit, citrus, lime, note of clay followed by salinity on the finish. The aftertaste just goes on and on. Winery says to pair with seafood paella or clam pizza. We'll add in salmon to sushi! Great wine. Drink now to 2-3 years.
Descendientes de J. Palacios
Bierzo (Castilla y León)
Bierzo is a rugged, hilly terrain that borders Galicia and is known for growing the red grape Mencia and the white grape Godello. The Camino takes you right through Bierzo if you are approaching Santiago de Compostela from the east.
Uncle-nephew team Alvaro Palacios (acclaimed winemaker in Priorat) and Ricardo Pérez Palacios (pictured above) founded Descendientes de J. Palacios in 1999, "purchasing the most inaccessible, the highest and the least productive vineyard in the region" and then applying biodynamic techniques with the goal of producing some of the most interesting wines coming out of Spain today. The vineyard soils are primarily slate and rock and are at an altitude of 500-950 meters (1640-3200 feet) above sea level. The climate is continental (very hot summers and very cold winters) with influences from the Atlantic.
Descendientes de J. Palacios 2023 Petalos Mencia • Bierzo, Spain • Reg $29.99 | Mixed Case $23.99
The winery only cultivates Mencia, but their old-vine vineyards have small amounts of other indigenous grapes growing alongside the Mencia that get included in this field blend: Mencia 91%, Palomino 4%, Alicante Bouchet 1%, Gran Negro 1%, Malvasia 1%, Negreda 1%, Valenciana 1%. Organic. Biodynamic. Ten months in French oak.
Earthy, herbal, spicy nose followed by blueberries & a note of anise. Palate adds in more blue fruit: mulberries, marionberries. Complex. Medium+ bodied. Great acidy, which carries this wine to the finish. Jens: I haven’t tasted a “wow” Mencia like this in a long time. This is a perfect wine club wine. It's why you’re in the club... to get crazy-good, lesser-known treasures like this. Open 2 hours ahead of drinking if you can for the full, complex nose. Pairings? Spanish grilled lamb chops pictured below.
3-BOTTLE CLUB
Coto de Caleruega
Ribera del Duero (Castilla y León)
Ribera del Duero in northcentral Spain is a high desert plain. It is continental in climate, so piping hot in the summer (but with a good diurnal range, meaning it cools off at night which is key for grape complexity) and freezing cold in winter. It produces the heat-loving Tempranillo grape. The city of Burgos is on the northern side of the region and is another thoroughfare for the Camino pilgrims.
Coto de Caleruega is a 375 hectare group of vineyards (located 700-1000 meters / 2300-3300 feet above sea level) near the beautiful village of Caleruega (pictured) in northeast Ribera del Duero, owned and operated by the Rioja producer Barón de Ley. "Historically, it has not been a popular location for viticulture due to its low temperatures and risk of frost, which hampered proper grape ripening. However, in recent years, rising temperatures have made it a prime location for grape cultivation." –winery notes.
Photos — top left: historic village of Caleruega / top right: “oldest underground cellar in the region of Ribera del Duero is located in our Quiñonera estate. Dated in the 12th century and excavated in the rock, it belonged to King Alfonso VIII.” —winery notes. / bottom left: lavender fields near Caleruega / bottom right: Javier Vicente, Head of Viticulture
Coto de Caleruega 2024 Roble • Ribera del Duero, Spain • Reg $28.99 | Mixed Case $23.19
Blend of Tempranillo 96% with Merlot 4% (to soften the tannins) from high-altitude vineyards with silky clay soils. Aged three months in 225-liter oak barrels. Winemaker Lluis Laso pictured.
Herbal, lots of plums, a little earthiness on the nose. More red and black plums on the palate. Blackberries on the finish. Tannins are there in the finish, but pretty darn smooth. For a Ribera del Duero Roble?? Pretty darn easy to like! Drink now to 3 years.
Winery says to enjoy this wine with an escalivada (pictured below), perfect for a spring meal. Here is the recipe:
INGREDIENTS: 1 eggplant, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 can of high-quality anchovies, 2 slices of goat cheese, 2 cloves of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, Modena balsamic vinegar, salt.
PREPARATION: • Wash the vegetables, dry them, and coat them with olive oil. • Roast them in the oven on a sheet of parchment paper for 45 to 50 minutes. • Halfway through the roasting process, turn them over. • Once they have cooled, peel them, remove the seeds, and cut them into small pieces with scissors over a serving tray. • In a bowl, combine 9 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons of Modena balsamic vinegar, and salt. • Whisk until emulsified, then add the garlic cloves, finely minced. • Pour the dressing over the vegetables, mix everything together, and let it marinate for one or two hours. • Just before serving, add a few anchovy fillets and a little goat cheese.
A Note from Jens:
Seriously, these wines are so interesting and fun. Really gives you a feeling of the place from whence they came. Hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed finding them! We think they're killer.
Your wine club pick-up tasting is always the 2nd Saturday of the month. We host this tasting so that you can taste and learn about your wines before enjoying them at home.
You can also taste the Portalis EXPLORES club wines at the tasting. June's theme is Bordeaux (France),featuring a Bordeaux Blanc & a Médoc Cru Bourgeois.
Hope you can join us. Terrific tasting!
Cheers,
Jens Strecker, Owner
Portalis Wine Shop
If you are here because you’re curious about our wine clubs: Here’s more general info & online sign-up. You can also peruse the last 12 months of both clubs to get a feel for the themes we pick and the wines we showcase: Portalis EXPLORES (our everyday wine club) & Portalis FLAGSHIP (our signature club).