Spain’s wet, Atlantic north west and one of the country’s 17 autonomous regions encompassing the do wine regions of rías baixas, ribeiro, ribeira sacra, monterrei, and valdeorras. Separated by mountains from castilla y león, Galicia has developed in isolation from the rest of Spain, the region being geographically and culturally closer to northern Portugal than to Madrid (see map under spain). The locals, many of whom are of Celtic descent, speak Gallego, a close relative of Portuguese. The wines also used to share an affinity with the light, acidic vinho verde produced south of the Miño (Minho in Portuguese), the river that divides this part of Spain from Portugal, but they have become fuller and more substantial with the recovery of indigenous varieties and the use of modern winemaking techniques.
