Zarate
Active in the village of Meaño, in the Salnés valley, Zarate is known as a pioneer producer of Albariño. The farm, which can be traced back to 1707, revolutionized the production of Rías Baixas' most important grape in the 1950s by introducing winemaking methods that are still used today. The farm's wines won the best Albariño prize in the competition of the Albariño Festival founded by Ernesto Zarate in consecutive years 1954-1956, after which Zarate thought it best to withdraw from the competition, giving space to other producers in the region. So far, no other producer has achieved many consecutive wins with their wine. It is thanks to Ernesto that Albariño has become the dominant and most prestigious grape variety in the Galicia region.
Located right next to the Atlantic coast, the nurseries of the family farm cover an area of 6.5 hectares. There are a total of 11 plots and they are distributed in the areas of the villages of Sisá and Padrena. The soil consists of granite with sand in it. Due to the influence of the Atlantic, the climate is quite cool and rainy. Ungrafted vines grow on three plots and the oldest Albariño vineyard in the entire Rías Baixas, El Palomar, was planted as early as 1850. The farm's ideology essentially includes biodynamic production, and the farm has produced all its wines without pesticides for 15 years. Since 1994, the farm has followed the regenerative viticulture method of not plowing the land in order to protect the soil's own structure.
Since the 2000 vintage, third-generation winemaker and seventh-generation winegrower Eulogio Pomares, who has been the house's winemaker, has developed the farm's orchards to the highest standards with his uncompromising style. At the center of production are organic methods of operation, strictly controlled harvest quantities and careful cellar work. The result can be seen in well-defined and refreshingly acidic wines that can withstand even longer maturation. Zarate's wines have collected strong points from Robert Parker, and Wine & Spirit has listed Zarate among the world's 100 best wineries.
Eulogio, who got the spurs for winemaking from his home farm, studied oenology in France. After his studies, Eulogio's journey continued to Germany, where he did research on the differences and similarities between the Albariño and Riesling varieties. According to Eulogio, the grapes have several similar characteristics, but in his opinion, Zarate's albariños are very similar to the white wines of Burgundy, such as Meursault or Chablis. Eulogio's dream is that people would stop thinking of albariño as a wine to be drunk young, and instead realize its enormous aging potential. So we encourage all wine lovers to try these albariños and make their own conclusions and comparisons!
