Burgáns, a winery at the top of Mount Burgáns in Salnés Valley, has developed a worldwide appreciation for the delicious Albariño variety, a grape that was relatively unknown outside of the Rías Baixas prior to 1980. This wine is produced at the famed Bodegas Martín Códax. Luciano Amoedo, the winemaker, is credited as being the founder of Rías Baixas.

Unusual for the area, Códax only uses its own estate grapes, rather than buying them from local growers. Albariño covers more than 90% of the Rías Baixas (REE-ahse BYCE-ahse) appellation (Denomination of Origin, or DO) in northwest Spain and northeast Portugal. Created in 1988, the DO’s popularity is a recent phenomenon. The cooler, more moist climate near the Atlantic Ocean results in fresh, crisp wines that are a natural partner to the seafood-dominated diet of this area of the world.