Altamira means "high sight" in Spanish, and it was to this picturesque location - over 200 meters above the Atlantic Ocean in the heart of the Rias Baixas region - that the grandparents of the current owners of Adegas D'Altamira first planted vines more than 70 years ago.
Like all Galicia farmers around 1900, Juan and Leocadia Garrido grew the grapes on small plots of land, made and bottled wines without labels, and sold them in the local markets. Many of the grapes were hybrids of red Catalan grapes and white Alicante that offered maximum productivity. In the late 1930s, it was discovered that the climate and terroir of the Rias Baixas region was ideal for growing the pure Albarino grape. While the Garrido had already planted quite a few Albarino vines (some of the vines on the Estate today are over 100 years old), they turned their entire hillside vineyard over to this one varietal.
The 100% Albarino wines made by the family became extremely well-known, so much so that when Albarino wines from the Rias Baixas started to make a name for themselves in the rest of the country, they were uniquely poised to take advantage of this mew market and the burgeoning Spanish wine industry.
In 2004 , Jose Tourino, Sr., along with his son, Jose Jr., built a state-of-the-art winery, a tasting room, cave and catering facilities, soon to be joined by luxury lodging on the family property. They also finally put a label on their wines - 2004 Albarino Adegas D'Altamira was their first vintage. This wine has received great praise and over 23 awards, including Spain's Golden Bacchus and is considered among the very best of aged Albarino from Rias Biaxas.
