One of Galicia’s most well regarded wine regions is right on our door step. The Rías Baixas are a series of four estuarine inlets located on the southwestern coast of Galicia, Spain. They are the Ría de Muros e Noia, the Ría de Arousa, the Ría de Pontevedra, and the Ría de Vigo.

It is also a Designation of Origin – D.O. for wine and produces one of Spain’s best white wines Albariño.

The Salnes Valley, where Vilagarcia de arousa is located, is surrounded by wineries and beautiful vineyards. Once you leave the central city, every home seems to have it’s own vineyard.

Before we came to Spain, I had read about the Los furanchos, a gastronomic heritage in Galicia, they sounded facinating and were were keen to explore them.

We decided to pass on the large, but beautiful wineries you find in our area, like Bodegas Granbazán that we passed on the way, to discover the los furanchos and try local homemade food and wine.

In short, the history of these establishments goes back to the surplus wine of a harvest. It is typical in the area of ​​the Rías Baixas that each house has a vineyard and that, when the summer ends, the harvest is made. Traditionally, this leftover wine was sold in family cellars, accompanied by some food.

“When you asked what furanchos mean to Galicians… there’s this word we have: enxebre,” she says. “It’s hard to explain, but it means something that preserves tradition; something that binds us together. That’s the essence of furanchos.” ” …. You can read more in this article.

We have been to a couple so far and we are well and truly hooked and we can’t wait to discover more.

The first time we went to a furancho, we met with an English couple we connected with via a FB expats in Galica group, as they were keen to check out this eating tradition as well.

We went to A de Pastora in Meaño. Since we visited during the week, they offered a menu del dia for €11 and we sampled some wonderful homemade Albariño. It was a such a lovely setting amongst their gardens and horreo. Great food, wine and service. We went back last weekend to buy some of their wine. €5 for a bottle of very good Albariño, which I am sampling as I write this.

Last week we went for lunch at O Furancho de Pancho and again amazing food, service and wine amongst the family vineyards. We were served by a young man who knew all about Australia as he follows the Formula 1. He was happy to practice his English with us. No Menu del dia here, but great prices and food and wine.

We will keep exploring more of the furanchos in our area. We are lucky as the Salnes valley is where most are located.

It truly is a relaxing, authentic experience and if anyone finds themselves in Galicia we highy recommend you check them out.