03/08/2026
𝗠𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗮🍷𝗔𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿 with .repost
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In Barbanza & Rías Baixas we have a white variety that despite the efforts on being recovered it’s still endangered. It’s called Ratiño and it’s super interesting because it ain’t anything alike to Albariño or Raposo.
For centuries, Ratiño survived hidden among old mixed vineyards, often growing alongside Albariño. In fact, there was an old saying in Barro: “Non hai bo Albariño sen Ratiño” — There is no good Albariño without Ratiño.
Ratiño is something of a rustic variety. It’s an early-ripening variety and, despite its low pH, it has slightly lower acidity than Albariño. So while it doesn’t have the razor-sharp tension we’re used to seeing in w**es from the area, it still retains enough acid backbone to age gracefully. Ratiño is also naturally high in glycerol, giving the w**es a notably silky texture on the palate.
Despite its thick skins, it isn’t especially aromatic. That’s why producers often rely on a short pre-fermentative cold skin maceration to coax a little more expression from the grapes. It has to be handled gently, though, as it’s easy to extract too much tannin.
So far, I’ve only tasted these two single-varietal expressions, and both convinced me that this grape deserves far more attention.
Murinüs 2023 (anonimas.w**es) reveals Ratiño’s more vertical, saline side, with citrus peel, bergamot, chalk, wet stone and an expansive, textured palate.
O’Peruco 2022 (cazapitas) leans into texture even further, using a short skin maceration and extended lees ageing to bring out notes of iodine, lemon zest and jasmine, wrapped around an impressively broad, mineral palate.
These are still tiny productions, but they offer a fascinating glimpse of what Ratiño can become.