The folks at Enterprise were helpful and efficient and within minutes we had transferred suitcases, back packs, and camera bags to a new silver car. The new car is considerably smaller and has a whole lot more pep! Let’s head to the mountains!
Honestly, Tom was a little nervous about this leg of our journey. He has driven every road on google maps and knows there will be moments when Janet will be freaking. There are two major rivers that are important in the wine regions of Galicia, the Miño and the Sil. The plan was to drive from Vigo to Os Peares where the two rivers meet and then take the Sil branch to Monforte de Lemos where we would be staying the night in a Parador. As Tom likes to say… “you have to have a plan to change one”.
The morning fog was still thick as we paralleled the Miño towards Os Peares. The road would curve and offer a view like no other. The river was simply beautiful with fog.
Janet saw an exit for the Monastery of Santo Estevo and our plan changed immediately. Our diversion would cause us to skip where the two rivers meet, but we had read so much about the monastery it seemed like the thing to do.
We immediately began to climb passing small farms as we climbed into the fog. The higher we climbed, the more Janet began to second guess this decision.
There were no cars to be seen on this road, just small house with garden plots.
Arriving at the Monastery, we encountered a few folks who were staying there at the Parador.
The morning was damp and cool as we began walking the grounds. The grounds and cloister were eerie with the mist and total silence.
There was signage which explained many of the carvings and statues throughout the monastery. There were many miracles that occurred here in times past. The one that interested us was sparked by this stonework on the wall. It shows nine Bishop’s mitres. In the middle ages there were nine Bishops who sought sanctuary at Santo Estevo. The silver rings each Bishop wore when combined are said to have cured the blind and people who had never walked. Those possessed with Satan would go frantic in the presence of the rings. All nine Bishops are buried in the church and the rings are kept in a silver box. The stories of these miracles have been passed along by those on pilgrimage to Santiago.
Leaving the monastery, we continued to the intersection of our planned route and the new route. Although, it meant back tracking 20 kilometers, Tom wanted to see the intersection of the Miño and the Sil. So… we would travel down our planned route to the intersection of the rivers and do a 180 drive back.
One benefit of taking the time to back track was the temperatures were beginning to rise and the sun was slowly winning the day. Arriving back in Os Peares, we circled through the little town crossing over both rivers.
Under the blue railroad bridge one can see where the Sil joins the Miño and flows to the sea through vineyards of Albariño, Treixadura, and Godello and so many more wonderful grapes.
Tom was not sure what was scarier, driving through the fog or actually being able to see what lay ahead.
The sun had won and the drive back was SPECTACULAR!!!!!
We saw two dams along the way and in one case the road actually went through the power transfer station.
The views and sights kept getting better and more extreme. The more Tom tried to look, the more Janet would tell him to drive. The carpet on the floor of the car on her side was showing wear from the stomping of her right foot. In all fairness a few more guard rails would have been welcome on a couple of the turns. We had also started to notice if you saw a white van, CAUTION is required. These drivers are working for somebody and do not care – they own the road!
We pulled off at one of the highest points just to take it all in! And boy, there was a bunch to see!
We were lucky another couple had stopped and were nice enough to capture us in this most beautiful place.
Throughout the drive we could see grapes growing on the steep cliffs. Mostly, on the other side of the river. As mentioned on yesterday’s blog, I used the words, Heroic Viticulture. What is Heroic Viticulture? To be considered for this ominous title the following thresholds must be met:
- Vines planted on slopes greater than 30%.
- Vineyard sites at altitudes over 500 meters (1600 feet).
- Vines planted on terraces or embankments.
- Vines planted on small islands in difficult growing conditions.
There is no doubt the Ribeira Sacra qualifies!
If you look closely, there is a small track running down the hill. Grapes must be hand-picked in small containers and then placed on this mini-incline and hauled to the top. No animals and no machines in these vineyards. There are some vineyards that one must follow the 3-point rule: at any one time one must have 3 of their 4 appendages holding on to something.
Our destination is in Monforte de Lemos, which is on the other side of the Sil. Before we head to our Parador for the night a late lunch was in order. We stopped at Adega Algueira for a bite. Adega is the Galician word for Bodega.
We did not have reservations and it was late, so we crossed our fingers and went in. We had a slight wait, but no big deal. Janet went with a traditional Galician soup, while Tom went with a goat stew. We are in the mountains and that calls for hardy food!
Our lunch was paired with two wines from the classic grapes in the Ribeira Sacra. Janet went with Godello and Tom Mencía. Excellent choice for the pairing, although Janet’s wine was excellent, Tom’s not so much. Mencía is still an all time favorite in our house, just not sure this young offering from the adega held up to the stew.
Following lunch, we plugged into the google, Adega Guímaro Winery, a Tom favorite. Down crazy back roads, some paved… some not, we followed the map. When we heard the voice say, “You have arrived”, we were skeptical but had no other option but to head to Monforte de Lemos.
We would learn later that Adega Guímaro does not have a fancy receiving area and we may have been in the right place. Oh well – they make a GREAT wine!
At last, we arrived at the Parador Monforte de Lemos. Sitting high on a hill overlooking the town, it is quite impressive.
The climb up the hill to the top was also a little challenging on cobble stone. Leaving everything in the car, we headed in to the check in desk.
Completing check in, we were escorted to an elevator and given instructions on how to get to our room. Two elevators and three sets of steps later we unlocked our room. Janet made a command decision that we were not going to lug our suitcases to our room for a night. So back to the car, grabbing our back packs we took what we needed for the night. The room was very nice, and it gave you the feel that you had gone back in time, but there was one thing that made us laugh. Spain is still very COVID conscious. Public transport still requires mask and many people still wear them all the time. However, a sanitized remote for you protection is a little over the top.
The restaurant at the Parador was very good, but both of us were stuffed from our late lunch. The wine did stand out. It was from the winery that only existed on google maps and offered a new grape for Tom. A blend primarily of Brancellao but also has Caíño Tinto, Mencía, Merenzao, Souson. There are so many grapes in Spain to learn and enjoy.
Calling it a night, we headed to our room and sleep soon followed.
No comments:
Post a Comment