Monterrei DO

Monterrei DO takes its name from Monterrey, meaning the king's mountain in Castilian. Monterrei is the Galician spelling. The hilltop fortress still overlooks the vineyards, which run south and north of the road where it runs from Madrid to Galicia, close to the Portuguese border.

The area was awarded DO status late, in 1996, although it had won provisional DO status in the 1970s.

There is a slow comeback of native grapes and winemaking styles similar to these elsewhere in Galicia - fresh, fruity whites and young Mencía reds. New investment is coming into the region's small family and cooperative bodegas. Much of the wine is still sold in bulk and work with native varieties is in early stages, but pioneering bodegas are showing the potential of the vineyards.

The DO is supporting this by awarding the Monterrei Superior label to wines made with 85% of any native variety.