Galicia, in northwest Spain, feels more like Ireland or Scotland. This is due to its shamrock green geography, ancient Celtic heritage, and its bagpipe music. But Galicia breaks the stereotypical Spanish mold in other ways, including its culture, gastronomy, and viticulture.
Having visited this bucolic region several years ago, I didn’t hesitate to RSVP for a “Taste of Galicia” wine event in Houston recently. Although I calculated that the drive from San Antonio would be slightly less than three hours, I knew this wine tasting would be worth the trip.
Once there, I learned this was really a follow up to a weeklong event called Galicia Week. Held for the first time last September, Galicia Week returns this fall, from September 22 to September 28. Galicia is one of 17 autonomous regions of Spain, and the festive event focuses on the cultural and tourism aspects of Galicia.
One of Galicia’s most famous tourist attractions is the monumental Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. It is the centerpiece of this medieval city, which is also the capital of Galicia. For centuries, pilgrims from all over the world have made arrival at the cathedral, usually via a network of ancient footpaths, their ultimate destination.
Why? It is believed that the remains of St. James are entombed beneath the holy cathedral. The spiritual journey is called “The Way of St. James” in English. Modern-day pilgrims walk hundreds of miles from historic towns in Spain and France over a period of weeks and months. Arrival at the towering, 12th century Cathedral is quite often a life-altering experience.
Cathedral Santiago de Compostela
“Galicia week is all about culture and tourism. So we will have a movie screening of Santiago de Compostela. We will also have a concert featuring a performer from Galicia, and an exhibit,” said Pilar Torres, managing director of Mas Branding, a public relations and multicultural events company in Houston.
“As far as the Taste of Galicia, it’s our first wine tasting focusing on wines from the region. But September will be the second time we have Galicia Week here in Houston. Last year it was a great success,” said Torres.
Taste of Galicia was organized to highlight less familiar wineries and Galicia’s cuisine. That is why James King, founder and instructor of the Houston-based Texas Wine School, was invited to speak to a crowd of more than 100 attendees about the outstanding wines of Galicia.
Houston, America’s fourth largest city and home to a permanent Spanish Consulate’s office, seemed like the ideal city in which to introduce products from Galicia. But another reason it won out over other American cities is its diverse population.
“When I saw that we were having economic problems in Spain, I started looking for a city diverse enough and economically viable enough to appreciate products from Galicia. That place was Houston and Pilar Torres made it all possible,” said Isabel Bugallo, CEO of Go Galicia Worldwide Business with headquarters in Ourense, Galicia.
Torres and Bugallo have since formed a trans-Atlantic marketing partnership with the goal of importing, promoting, and selling an array of Galicia products in select grocery stores and liquor stores in Houston and throughout Texas.
To that end, the wine tasting featured bite-sized samples of empanadas (meat or tuna turnovers), octopus tapas, famous Galicia cheeses, including Tetilla, and other Galician delicacies prepared by a caterer from Venezuela.
“I studied at the Instituto Gastronomico Espanol (Spanish Institute of Gastronomy) and I specialize in preparing Spanish food. But this is the first time I prepared food from Galicia; it’s so unique and so regional” said Bielitsky Prada, chef/owner of Bielina’s Catering and Services.
In retrospect, one of the first foods I fell in love with during my three-day stay in Galicia was the tuna and tomato empanadas, and Bielitsky’s tasted authentic. On my first trip to Galicia I also indulged in Mencia and Albariño wines (also a first) from Bodegas Martin Codax in the Rias Baixas. Since I’m a wine enthusiast, I’ve been hooked on wines from this earthy, magical region ever since.
Rias Baixas is one of five denominacion de origen (DO) wine regions in Galicia. It may be the best known of Galicia’s appelations because of its exceptional Albariño white wine. At the tasting, Rias Baixas-based Bodegas Chaves offered Castel de Fornos Albariño, which was exceptional.
The other four Galicia wine regions, Ribeira, Ribeira Sacra, Monterrei, and Valdeorras, are also producing premium (organically grown) handcrafted wines but do not have the recognition that Rias Baixas has.
But Ms. Bugallo aims to change all that through Go Galicia, which represents small, family-owned and operated businesses lacking worldwide exposure. The wineries are family businesses and cooperatives quietly producing great wines without much fanfare.
Valdeorras, inland and east of Ourense, is a wine region poised to be discovered. While it has traditionally grown the native Mencia grape to make red wines, it’s the native Godello white grape that has garnered international attention lately.
In 2008, after a lifetime devoted to winemaking, Adega O Cepado family winery became part of the Valdeorras DO. The family’s exquisite Cepado Godello and Cepado Mencia were offered to wine enthusiasts at the Houston wine tasting. Attendees could not get enough of these great wines.
Familia Costeira and Vina Costeira from the Ribeiro DO were aptly represented as well. The Tostado de Costeira single varietal was a naturally sweet refreshing blush with captivating aroma of honey, raisins, and other fruits.
Ms. Torres agrees with Ms. Bugallo that Houston is the ideal city to test the market for tourism and a gamut of products from Galicia. Houston’s mayor, Anise Parker, couldn’t agree more. She reiterated Houston’s diversity in an article about Houston in the Wall Street Journal recently.
Attracting visitors to Galicia should be easy, since its seafood-centric gastronomy has been luring tourists for years. Fishing is the region’s primary business, generating billions of euros a year. It is a worldwide leader in the production of mussels. Goose barnacles, coquinas (tiny clams), and santiaginos (species of slipper lobster) are unique to Galicia, which has a 1,500 kilometer coastline.
Known as Gallegos in Spanish, this proud people still speak their native Gallego along with Spanish. Gallegos retain “salt of the earth” characteristics clinging to their rural roots and ancient agricultural customs despite modern times.
“We have marmalades, cheeses, and many products that we want to bring to Texas. And we chose Pilar because of her great capability. I found her on Linkedin, and after I saw her resume, God inspired me to choose her for this business endeavor,” said Ms. Bugallo.
Pilar Torres and Isabel Bugallo
Ms. Bugallo’s video presentation inspired me, too. Traveling to Galicia vicariously through her video, however, is no substitute for actually being there. So I began planning my next trip to Galicia as I left Houston and headed back to San Antonio.
For information on Galicia Week in Houston, contact pilar [at] masbranding.com
To contact Isabel Bugallo, go to: www.gogalicia.net
For catered Spanish foods: bielinascatering [at] yahoo.com
The Tourist office of Spain in New York, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles can help with organizing a trip to Galicia, as well: info [at] tourspain.com
Rosie Carbo is the Lifestyles Editor for Wandering Educators, and is a former newspaper reporter whose work has appeared in newspapers and magazines nationwide. Some of those publications include People magazine, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. Some of her features were redistributed by The Associated
Press early in her career as an award-winning Texas journalist.