Who we are and what we offer?
A group of vineyard owners –consisting of 30 families- gathered in
1975 to defend a product to which our ancestors devoted part of their lives and work. From them we
inherited home, tradition and respect, and, moreover: the knowledge of what should and not should be
done during the wine elaboration. We are sited in Valle del Salnes, which capital is Cambados. And on
the date mentioned above we founded the first group agriculture winery under the legal name
-in those times- “Grupo de Colonización” (Settlement Group), later “Sociedades Agrarias de
Transformación” (Transformation Agricultural Societies). Since our birthtime, our philosophy has been to
watch and defend Albariño wine which is produced in this area, not only for its quality and originality
but also for its tipicity, as it is stated in our foundation estatutes, article 3.
It should be taken into consideration that the Denomination of Origin Rías Baixas was not created
until 1986, which shows we are pioneers in our knowledge related to Albariño wine, for we had already
been working beforehand on its potential. This fact confers us the power to transmit a wide range of
information from a historical and experimental point of view, regarding the possibilities of the
grapevine variety “Albariño.” As a result, in 1994, we were awarded “Albariñenses de Honor”
(Honoured Albarinenses) by Capítulo Serenísimo del Albariño and that was the first time the award was
granted to a group of vineyard owners as an acknowledgement of their labour and accomplishments.
Over the late years, a great amount of visitors have visited our facilities and they have stated their
preference for this House as a historical and major reference. Consequently, we have been considered the
most accurate guards to keep with high precision the values related to the elaboration of this
well-known Albariño wine.
How do we elaborate Dom Bardo?
All the experience gathered, from our ancestors and that acquired at performing our activities along
years of devotion to our labour, is offered in the elaboration of Dom Bardo. This experience has
been acknowledged by research and development programs, financed by our own resources and the
support of the finantial entity BBVA, under the direction and worthy collaboration of Professors
Barbosa Arantes and Sousa Maia, in the Universities: Santiago de Compostela (Dr Reigosa Roger);
do Miño Oporto-Portugal (Dr Couto Teixeira, Marques Oliveira and Pires de Almeida) and Montpellier
Profesor Pierre Vidan. They provided information as regards the autochthonous or mutated microflora
that prevails on Valle del Salnés, including cryptogamic plants such as “yeasts, leavening,
bacteria, etc” which condition or characterize the productivity process and the elaboration of
Dom Bardo Albariño wine. Its elaboration schedule is as follows:
Firstly, sample collection on the fields, from “envero” (colour change season), to follow up the
ripening process, which will tell us the most appropriate date to begin the vintage.
Then, fruit recollection and its placement in boxes (20-22 kg), so as to avoid tearing up or
spoiling; immediate transportation in individual compartments to the winery (up to a maximun of 3-4
hours from the moment of picking up); sample collections to assess traceability, weighing,
complete elimination of scratching and soft crushing.
Finally, all the grapes go through the tube interchanger for thermal control and the cold maceration
process is started using crio-maceration, which will yield highly satisfactory results, regarding
the extraction of the whole varietal aromatic potential of this breed.
This process has been peformed in our facilities since 1985 and, as far as it is known according
to updated publications of enological treaties- we are considered to be in the first place in
its application both in our country and internationally. This technique, even though it is
expensive, allows our Dom Bardo Albariño wine to express a unique and typified personality,
which would be framed within the original Albariños from Salnés.
Notwithstanding the typical difficulties “seasons” bestow upon Albariño wines, our experienced
culture and treatment of it enable us to offer what other albariño wines cannot.
Also important in the elaboration process of Dom Bardo is the separation of grape sludge in the
must through cold static disludging instead of mechanical or other kind of processes.
Accordingly, must transformation yielding is not over 60% (from 55-59%), depending on the
addition.
The alcoholic or tumultuous fermentation takes place through the inoculation of Süssreserve
(German: Süßreserve, literally meaning "sweet reserve", i.e. a portion of selected unfermented
must to be added to wine as a sweeting component), consisting of autochtonous yeasts, and placed
in stainless steel vats to keep temperature under control. This fermentation is possible thanks
to the biological process of lactic bacteria that are present in our milleu, and which have the
peculiarity of developing this transformation at very low temperatures (9-10 Cº).
In white wines, this transformation is absolutely exceptional under these conditions; however,
it is currently acknowledged by various enologic authorities as a way to obtain wines with a
higher peculiarity, an aromatic complexity and soft crisp sharpness on the palate, which also
have an extensive longevity when compared to wines under non biologic disacidification processes.
Thus, Dom Bardo is unique, due to research and gathered experience in the production, selection
and the personalized elaboration, mainly enhancing the tipicity and originality a good Albariño
should have.
What is Dom Bardo?
Visual phase:
White, clean, brilliant, transparent, elegant and beautiful pouring wine, subtle gold yellow,
with hues of green and straw.
Smelling phase:
Intense, true to its enhanced grape varietal aroma, having hints of a deep fruity perfume
and of natural ripening, long length and open aroma.
Tasting phase:
Dry and with a crisp sharpness, soft, open and wide shades to the forepalate, meaty and harmonic.
Full-bodied, round wine, with a well balanced evolution. With the bracing acidity to create
a razor-clean finish.
Long length retronasal after-tasting.