Tour and tasting at the Ponte da Boga winery, Castro Caldelas

What it is

Adega Ponte da Boga is a Ribeira Sacra winery at the foot of Castro Caldelas, in the setting of the river Edo, which flows down to the Sil. It was founded in 1898 by the family of Pascasio Fernández, from Castro Caldelas, with the idea of being the first in the area to sell its own wine; since 2006 it has belonged to the Rivera family. The winery presents itself as the oldest in the Ribeira Sacra.

It opens its century-old cellar and its vineyards in guided visits that always end with a tasting. It is a good way to understand why the Ribeira Sacra makes such a distinctive wine: vines in terraces on very steep slopes that drop to the canyons of the Sil and the Miño.

The experiences and their prices

All are guided, Tuesday to Saturday, with groups of up to 15 people:

• Cata Alais tasting, at 15:00, €16 per person. Visit to the vineyard and the winery, with an explanation of how the wine is made, and a tasting of three of the house's wines with a small appetiser: a godello, a mencía and Bancales Olvidados.
• Cata Galicia tasting, at 13:30, €20. Visit to the winery and the vineyards and a tasting of five wines from five Galician appellations, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro, Monterrei and Valdeorras, with an appetiser.
• San Vitorio pairing tasting, at 11:30, €26. Tour of the winery and of the Costa de Alais vineyard, and a tasting of four wines paired with Galician produce.
• Cheese & Wine, at 17:00, €26. Winery and vineyard, and four wines with four Galician cheeses, one for each wine.

The website also sells two gift experiences for two people: the Cata Alais for €32 and the Cheese & Wine for €52. The winery does not publish how long each visit lasts: ask when you book if you are short of time.

How to book

Book online, from the link for each experience on the winery's wine tourism page. To book for the same day or for larger groups, you need to speak to the winery: [email protected] or 988 203 306. For groups and companies they design tailor-made visits, even at times of year when they are closed to the public.

With children

Under-age visitors who come with their parents or guardians do not pay for the visit. They will see the vineyard and the winery; the tasting, naturally, is for adults.

Getting there and parking

Castro Caldelas is about 48 km from Ourense, around 50 minutes by car. The winery does not give a postal address on its website: it is at the foot of the town, beside the river Edo. Confirm the exact spot when you book. Bring a designated driver who does not drink, or choose the Cata Alais, the shortest, and taste lightly: the roads of the Ribeira Sacra are narrow and full of bends.

When to go

The experiences are offered from Tuesday to Saturday. September and October are the grape harvest and in spring the vines bud: these are the seasons with the most life on the terraces. In winter, the winery may have seasonal closures: check availability on its website.

Combine it with the canyon

Castro Caldelas is very close to the Sil canyon. A full-day plan from Ourense: in the morning, the catamaran along the Sil canyon or a spell of kayaking; early in the afternoon, the 15:00 Cata Alais, and back to Ourense to finish at the hot springs.

What to bring

Comfortable shoes, because you walk on sloping vineyard, and a jacket in spring and autumn: it gets cool in the valley as evening falls.