At this time in a normal year, harvest in Ribeira Sacra would only just be getting underway. In 2026, it’s already halfway over. The 2026 harvest began on August 12, the earliest date ever.

Harvest 2026 is underway in Galicia! Here are some pictures from Valdeorras.

Preserving rural livelihoods is part of the solution to reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires, but those livelihoods now have to adapt to increasingly unpredictable conditions. The question for the coming years will be if the countryside can remain both economically viable and disaster-resistant in a changing climate.

In celebration of August as Albariño month here at The Wines of Galicia, I wanted to take a dive into the Albariño archives. Things like these are essential for understanding the story of Rías Baixas Albariño. They give us a window into how people thought about wine at the time, and they let us see firsthand the process of how one grape began to take over the region.

María Falcón (left) and Cristina Yagüe were doing things differently from the start. For one, rather than naming their project something about themselves or their families or what they hoped to accomplish, they decided to name their winery in homage to others.

After a seven-year hiatus, Envínate is once more making wines with the D.O. Ribeira Sacra back label. Ribeira Sacra’s Regulatory Council announced that the winery is rejoining the DO, describing the project as an “international benchmark for wines from the region.”

An afternoon with Rodri Méndez showed off a different side of Rías Baixas: old vines, aged Albariño, and red wines still being invented in real time.

Just like Santiago is constantly undergoing a process of renewal and rejuvenation—whether via physical construction or the arrival of new generations—Galician wine is actively under construction. We’re incredibly privileged to be watching this history unfold before our eyes.