Bodegas del Palacio de Fefiñanes

Who they are

The Palacio de Fefiñanes winery occupies the palace itself, in the square of the same name in Cambados. The palace is an Asset of Cultural Interest with monument status and has been linked to wine since the 17th century; the winery says that the know-how has been passed down from generation to generation within the family, linked to the viscountcy of Fefiñanes. The first viscount was born there in 1583 and continued the work of his ancestors until the palace looked as it does today. The website does not say who runs the winery at present.

The date the house claims is 1928, the first vintage of the Albariño de Fefiñanes, with a label designed that year by the Santiago jeweller and jet-worker Enrique Mayer. The following year the wine won a prize at the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. The winery presents itself as a pioneer in making and marketing albariño from the Salnés valley, within the Rías Baixas Designation of Origin.

Vineyard and wines

It has a small vineyard of century-old vines inside the walls of the estate and works with a group of small growers from Cambados. It says it follows the traditional winemaking of the Galician pazos (manor houses). It makes four wines, all albariño: the Albariño de Fefiñanes, the classic; the 1583, since the 1995 vintage, named after the year of the viscount's birth; the III Año, since 2001, which ferments and ages in tank and rests for a long time before bottling; and the Armas de Lanzós, since 2013, with almost three years in tank and oxidative ageing in 500-litre French barrels, of which only 633 magnum bottles were produced.

The visit

The winery opens for visits with advance booking from Monday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00; it is closed on Sunday. The visit goes round the palace, the winery and the vineyard and ends with a tasting of its albariños. The website does not publish the length, the price, the group size or a minimum age; nor cancellation terms. It is worth asking when you book, as well as whether the route can be adapted for people with reduced mobility, because this is a historic building.

They also offer gift vouchers for the visit and sell their wines in an online shop. The winery displays the Tourist Quality mark and is part of the Rías Baixas Wine Route.

How to book and languages

Book by email at [email protected] or on 986 542 204. The website is in Spanish and English; the language of the visit is agreed when booking. The winery is within walking distance of anywhere in the centre of Cambados, and during the Albariño Festival, in the first week of August, visit places sell out earlier, so it is best to book further ahead.