Winery description

    On a professional level, Francisco Pérez started with the winery in 2006 but he had been making wine since 1997 for a tavern in the town of Mandín. In 2006 he decided to leave the "furancho" and dedicate himself completely to what he is passionate about.

    He is the son of immigrants and had to be raised by his grandparents. This stage of his life marked, in part, his destiny. His grandfather was the one who introduced him to the art of caring for the vineyards.

    The winemaker, known as Xico, does not want to homogenize, his philosophy of not wanting to produce similar wines leads him to obtain unique wines. It is committed to the promotion of minority autochthonous varieties and to viticulture in balance with the environment.

    His wine is a wine that is close to the earth, made in the most natural way possible; He does it in chestnut barrels, as his grandfather used to do.

    Its vineyards are located in the "raia" that separates the villages of Mandín, on the Galician side, and Lamadarcos, on the Portuguese side. It has four vineyards with a joint area of ​​4 hectares, each with different characteristics. It produces a total of 7000 litres per year (half white and the other half red). In addition to the  table wine he produces which is sold in bulk.

    The phytosanitary products that he usually uses are sulfur and copper. As compost, it uses grasses, bush microorganisms and rock dust (the objective of these practices is to improve production).

    Using the native white castes Verdello, Dona Blanca and Treixadura. And the native red castes Bastardo, Tinta Fina, Tinto Serodio and Caiño.

    Xico makes two types of wines. In his own winery he makes wines under the Monterrei Designation of Origin: “Couto Mixto Tinto” and “Couto Mixto Branco”. These wines surpass 90 points on Robert Parker's prestigious “The Wine Advocate” list. And, on the other hand, in the old winery of his grandparents he continues to make a traditional wine to sell in bulk, in 15-litre cartons (this is a table wine that he makes only for orders, friends and also for the tavern).

    The production process used is very simple, because for this winemaker the fundamental thing is the grape. The bunches continue to be stepped on with the stems in a stone press and then they go to the tanks, where they ferment with native yeasts.

    In “Couto Mixto Raiano” (as the area is called, “raia”) Galicians and Portuguese decided, centuries ago, to merge forever in a fraternal embrace. The common castes (Mencía, Bastardo and Caíño) are mixed without any additions, using only yeasts typical of these castes; thus being able to express the flavour of the banks of the River Támega.

    Appellation of origin
    Location
    Contact information
    Location