Enciña da Lastra is located in the Ourense municipality of Rubiá, belonging to the Valdeorras region and bordering with the Bierzo of León. Getting there is easy, because the park is crossed through by the N-120 road, which connects Ponferrada with Ourense. It is probably the driest place in Galicia, a place well known for precisely the abundant rainfall: here the average annual rainfall is 594 mm and the average temperature is around 13 degrees Celsius.

These conditions make the area grow, in addition to holm oaks, scrub more typical of the Mediterranean climate, thyme, and even several species of orchids, that blend with the more common chestnuts, giving way to a variety in vegetation without equal in Galicia. The fact that the terrain is calcareous gives the landscape very distinctive ochre colours, and attracts birds of prey (golden eagles, peregrine falcons and even vultures), large colonies of bats that are attracted to the caves (palas, as they are known in the area) and the fluvial canyons that form around the Sil, the river that crosses the park, and also reptiles and amphibians difficult to find in other parts of Galicia.

The Enciña da Lastra Natural Park is traversed by ten hiking routes that are a very interesting way to get to know the park and to visit several picturesque villages that retain all the beauty of old times. Oulego, O Robledo, O Porto, Biobra, Pardollán … are small towns hanging on the mountain slopes, in the shadow of huge calcareous formations that can be seen thanks to a wide network of viewpoints. The imposing penedos (crags) of Oulego, that defy the sky with their ridged crests, and the Pena Falcoeira, discernible from most of the region, are probably the two best known elevations. Along many of the trails it is possible to observe, far in the distance, dominating the landscape and snow-covered through much of the year, the peak of Pena Trevinca, the highest point in the Autonomous Community.

It is convenient to hike these routes with some kind of sun protection if you do it in the summer, because in the midday hours the heat becomes oppressive, and equipped with water to cool off. It is also highly advisable to keep the noise down, in order to observe some of the many animals that have, in this area, their only refuge in Galicia. To visit the caves it is necessary to enquire and obtain permission beforehand. The Pala da Zorra, with 600 meters of galleries and seven entryways; Pala Pumbeira, with an entrance by boat from the Penarrubia reservoir, and the Pala da Campá, with its unmistakable echo, are among Enciña da Lastra’s most popular grottos.

In fact, it is the contrast between the steep slopes that surround it and the sober and at the same time sumptuous architecture that is the most outstanding aspect of the sanctuary. The sanctuary belongs to the diocese of Astorga, and it is in fact from the Bierzo lands that comes the original foundation. It is told that in a cave in the area an image of the Virgin was found, the same image that, much later, appeared to a convalescing bishop of Astorga so that he would miraculously regain his health. The bishop, Alonso Mejía de Tovar, would be the one who commissioned in the seventeenth century the construction of the church.

The main building is a jewel of Galician Baroque. It consists of a nave to which they later added another two, of irregular size. The church seems to be resting on the very  rock of the mountain. From one side of the main altar you can climb up to the transept, to admire more closely the figure of the Virgin of As Ermidas.

The façade is a Baroque prodigy designed at the beginning of the eighteenth century by the architect Juan Martínez Pita, responsible at the time of the reform of several Ourense churches and who probably achieved his most outstanding work here. There is no shortage here of the elements that make the baroque style exuberant and functional at the same time: the classic columns combined with the Solomonic, the play on volume in the towers, the ingenious integration of the sculptures into the pediment and the gaps left in the construction… For those who know the Cathedral of Santiago, the façade of As Ermidas may very well look like a condensed Obradoiro. A polychrome shield of the bishops of Astorga, promoters and administrators of the temple, presides over this main entrance.

The artistic ensemble also has an undeniable Portuguese flavour. The neighbouring country is referred to, for example, by the stone cross located in the atrium, in front of the church and the building that served as residence for the bishop. It was made, in fact, by a Portuguese sculptor, Manoel Miranda, also in the eighteenth century. The exceptional Via Crucis that starts in the church and ascends along the main road of the village can also be associated to others located in Portugal. Among the houses, taking advantage of walls and fountains, in unsuspected corners, appear the stations of the Passion of Christ, which can be followed walking up the hill.

In the middle of this Via Crucis is one of the most beautiful fountains that can be seen in Galicia, that of A Dormiñona (“la dormilona”). Exceptional example of popular architecture, the main body shows the image of a young woman resting on a jug, asleep on top of her right hand. The set is crowned by a Marian shield and another feminine figure.

The Sanctuary of As Ermidas is the backdrop of one of the most popular pilgrimages in the area, which takes place during Holy Week. Hundreds of worshipers from the surrounding areas come to O Bolo to participate in it and enjoy a privileged environment in which even a fluvial beach can be found  to cool off if the heat of spring becomes too much.

On saturday May 26th (2012) more than 60 Galicia wineries will celebrate “Open Day” were wine lovers can stop by and get a tour of these wineries. The participating wineries are located in the regions of Monterrei, O Ribeiro, Rías  Baixas, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras. Please consult this pdf document for details of each of these wineries (the document is in Gallego but all wineries listed are participating).

In addition to the wineries opening up their doors this day, the local restaurants also have decided to do something special. Each of them (also listed in the pdf document above) will have a special menu for visitors (including local wines), costing €25. A children’s menu for €10,- for those under 12 years of age will also be available.

In Ribadavia and Monforte there will also be guided tours of the old town.

All should be set for a great saturday, enjoying Galician cuisine!

Valdeorras is the most Eastern region of the province of Ourense, limiting with León. The wealth in natural resources and the lands fertility made Valdeorras a reception area of many peoples along history. There are abundant remains from the megalithic era in the Natural Park of the “Serra da Enciña da Lastra”, besides the rock strokes and the petroglyphs of Valdegodos, Petín and San Esteban de A Rúa Vella. The arrival of the Romans substantially changed the valley, because they moved population centers to the plains and built one of the most important roads of the Iberian Peninsula, the “Vía XVIII” or “Vía Nova” [later used as Camino Real or Camino de Invierno (Winter Way) on the Saint James Way].

Bridges like those of the Bibei River, tombstones like that of A Rúa Vella, A Cigarrosa’s mosaics and milestones, form part of the Roman imperial legacy; although its most singular piece of work is the tunnel at Montefurado, excavated in order to divert the river’s course to extract the gold it dragged and today it is a place with a great touristic attraction and can be seen from a few meters above from the N-120 road. Subsequently, in the XVII century the spectacular Sanctuary of As Ermitas stands out surrounded by ancient terraced vineyards, that nowadays have become one of the most important places of cult in this area. The region is composed by nine municipalities: A Rúa, O Barco, Rubiá, Petin, O Bolo, Carballeda, Larouco, Vilamartín and A Veiga. Almost all of them have wine farms that give this territory a unique singularity.

This D.O. is particularized because there are hundreds of traditional wineries where the elaboration and care for wine is done in the bowels of the earth, in caves excavated in clay – many of these ancient wineries are conserved in their original state. The antiquity of some of these caves is of various centuries, being many of them preserved in perfect condition. Their chimneys are singular, known as refugallo (waste, residue) – they catch our attention, most of all from the outside because they appear to be a curious element in the Valdeorras’ landscape -; they are used for airing and adjusting the temperature in the winery. The quality of the Valdeorras’ wines make it a reference in the wine sector and wakes up national and international interest about a region where wine becomes the maximum expression of the land, championing its essence in a bottle.

The area of production of this Designation of Origin takes over part of the Sil, Xares and Bibei Rivers basins. It presents a great diversity of soils for the vineyard area having 3,2 acres. The preferential variety in whites is Godello, but there are other types that are cultivated like, Doña Blanca which they call Moza Fresca (fresh dame), and in reds the preferred are Mencía and Merenzao that can also be accompanied by Sousón, Albarello, Garnacha Tintorera and Gran Negro. From the Godello variety we obtain wines with an intense fruity and floral fragrance, very well structured in the mouth. From the Mencía type we get red scarlet wines, with elegant wild fruit aromas and soft corpulence.

Ruta del Vino Valdeorras

Ctra. N-120, Km 463
32340 Vilamartín de Valdeorras. Ourense
Tel: +34 988 300 295
Fax: +34 988 300 455
www.dovaldeorras.tv
consello@dovaldeorras.tv

Dive into the world of wine and get to know Galicia through its flavours, colours and tastes. Here one can enjoy unique settings combined with the pleasure of this millennial tradition, which in Galicia has these five denominations of origin: Monterrei, O Ribeiro, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras; five territories which today open their doors to the best of what Galicia has to offer.

The enological sector of Galicia is today an admixture of culture, quality, innovation and creativity, and is globally recognized. It has capitalized its progress through the Consellos Reguladores —Regulatory Councils—, establishing a continuity of the traditional processes that have made its wines famous, further improved by the combination of environmentally friendly processes and an increasing responsibility for quality. In our Wines Routes in Galicia we can make a trip around some of the best wines in the world.

Discover the best kept secrets of Galician winemaking. A world of knowhow available today at the hands of its protagonist, the wine merchant.

Be seduced by the rich diversity of Galician scenery. A world of valleys and mountains, of monastic sounds which transport us to a medieval world, of vineyards with a sea flavour, or border vineyards, wines created deep in the heart of mother earth. Small vineyards in beautiful landscapes dominated by great rivers.