The Midfielder, the Buried Tinaja & the Yeast That Never Leaves
A professional footballer who played twelve years for Ourense and Lugo, then bought four hectares of abandoned forest behind a monastery and spent fifteen years clearing granitic terraces by hand — Iago Garrido makes Ribeiro's first certified biodynamic wines, ageing every single cuvée under flor in buried amphorae and hundred-year-old Jerez barrels, with a sensitivity that makes tasters think of the Jura and Saumur in the same breath.
Origin — The Footballer, the Monastery, and the Stream Called Carried Water
Iago Garrido was born in Ourense in 1979. By the age of eight, he was already playing football at a sports school in the city, where he met Xabi Prado — another boy from the countryside whose second life would also be wine. At eighteen, Iago signed with FC Ourense, a second-division professional side in Spain's La Liga system. He would spend twelve years as a professional midfielder, playing for Ourense and Lugo, studying at the university in Lugo between matches, and living the disciplined, itinerant life of a footballer. His last year in the league was 2011. But even as he chased the ball, another current was pulling him home.
Having studied agricultural engineering, Iago had become fascinated by permaculture at a young age — the idea that a farm could be a self-sustaining ecosystem rather than an extractive industry. In 2008, he discovered four hectares of abandoned terraces tucked in a valley behind the ancient Monasterio de San Clodio, in the Rioboó zone of northern Ribeiro. The land belonged to Pazo de Rioboó, a historic baroque manor, and had been owned by Galician clergymen for centuries. It was completely overgrown with forest. A stream called Augalevada — "carried water" in Gallego — ran through the middle of the property. Iago fell in love. He bought the land, single-handedly cleared the terraces of invading forest, and began to plant vines on the granitic slopes.
In 2009, he built a winery on-site — not a steel-and-glass monument, but a cellar dug into the granitic hill over three floors, allowing for gravity flow during winemaking. He planted his first vines that same year, mostly Godello and Treixadura, the standard varieties of the region. But as the vines matured and Iago tasted the results, he grew disappointed. The wines were monolithic. They lacked the complexity he sensed the terroir could offer. So he did something radical: he re-grafted many of the vines to varieties that had nearly disappeared from Ribeiro — Lado and Agudelo (a Chenin Blanc biotype brought by monks via the Camino de Santiago centuries ago) for whites, and Brancellao, Sousón, Caíño Longo, and Caíño da Terra for reds. Today, roughly 40% of the vineyard is red — an almost heretical ratio in a region dominated by white.
His first wine, Ollos de Roque — named for his firstborn son — was released in 2014. It had two versions that inaugural year: one aged in oak barrels, and an experimental version called Número Dous that was vinified in buried amphorae and aged under a veil of flor. Initially, Iago thought the amphora version was a mistake. But his friends kept telling him how much they loved it. He tasted it again. They were right. What began as an accident became the central philosophy of the entire project.
The Place — Granite, Jable, and the Cool Breath of the Stream
Ribeiro is one of the smallest and oldest wine regions in Galicia — in the 19th century, it was the largest producer in Europe. But phylloxera, rural exodus, and the rise of Albariño reduced it to a shadow of its former self. The Rioboó zone, in the north of the DO near the Avia river, was once famous for its reds. Today, it is a landscape of forgotten terraces and returning forest — except at Augalevada, where Iago has carved a working farm out of the wilderness.
Granite, Gneiss & Jable
The terraces are built on granite and gneiss bedrock, covered with jable — a granitic sand that glitters in the sun and drains freely. The soils are stony, poor, and demanding. Vines struggle here, which is exactly the point. The 100-metre height difference across the property creates multiple microclimates, with southeast-facing slopes catching the morning sun and the stream valley preserving cool air.
The Stream That Names the Farm
Augalevada — "carried water" — is not just a poetic name. The stream that cuts through the middle of the farm is a natural air-conditioning system, creating cool airflow during the hot summers of inland Galicia. In a warm area where acidity can be difficult to preserve, this stream is the farm's most valuable asset. It is the difference between flat, heavy wine and the razor-sharp tension that defines Iago's bottles.
First Biodynamic Certified in Ribeiro
Augalevada is the first Demeter-certified biodynamic winery in the history of Ribeiro — a radical achievement in a region where constant rain and humidity make organic farming genuinely heroic. Galician cows graze the lush grass between terraces. Chickens roam through the vines. An orchard and vegetable patch feed the Garrido family. It is a working fazenda in the old sense: a self-sustaining farm that happens to make wine.
From Forest to Vineyard
When Iago bought the land, it was completely overgrown with invading forest. He cleared the terraces himself, stone by stone, vine by vine. The vines he planted in 2009 are still young — many grafted onto young rootstocks — yet they produce wines of startling maturity. Patience is not a virtue here. It is the only option.
Winemaking — Everything Under Flor
Iago Garrido's cellar is a three-storey gravity-flow cave carved into granite. On the lowest level, 400-litre tinajas made by Juan Padilla — the fifth-generation master potter from Villarrobledo whose vessels are also used at COS, Foradori, and La Perdida — are buried underground in the cellar basement. Above them sit old oak barrels of various sizes: 300-litre French oak, 500 and 600-litre demi-muids, local chestnut, Stockinger, and — since 2020 — ancient 500-litre Jerez barrels likely over 100 years old. Each vessel develops its own flor — a veil of yeast that covers the wine's surface and transforms it from something ordinary into something unmistakably alive.
Every wine Iago makes is in contact with flor — whites and reds alike. This is not a gimmick. It is a philosophical choice. The flor brings umami, salinity, and a savoury complexity that makes his whites taste like a cross between Saumur Chenin and Jura Savagnin, and his reds like Poulsard and Trousseau from the Jura. The whites are pressed directly and fermented at very low temperatures, partially in stainless steel and partially in old oak, before being transferred to amphora and barrel for ageing. The reds are foot-trodden in open vats and "massaged" by hand for light extraction, then aged in a mix of old barrels and buried tinajas.
Iago is intuitive and experimental. He macerates or not, depending on the vintage. He tries ancient Jerez barrels and compares them to French oak — observing that the Jerez barrels produce more "cohesive and analog" wines, while the neutral French oak is a little more edgy. He is not paralysed by oenological orthodoxy or market expectations. "He makes wines in a very intuitive way, curious to take risks, to try ways of doing," as one importer noted. "Without being paralysed by the orthodox criteria of oenology or the impositions of the pseudo market."
The technical discipline is absolute: native yeasts only, no fining, no filtration. SO₂ is only added at bottling, reaching a remarkably low 20-25mg/L total. The wines are bottled, then often aged for another year before release — an almost unheard-of patience for a young winery in a region that usually rushes its whites to market.
The Wines — Ollos, Mercenarios, and the Eyes of Roque
Iago divides his production into two lines: Ollos — wines made from Augalevada's own biodynamic vineyards — and Mercenario — wines made from purchased or farmed fruit across Galicia, from the Miño, Avia and Arnoia valleys to the Salnés coast and Monterrei. The quality threshold is the same for both: organic or biodynamic farming, native yeasts, and the obligatory flor ageing. Production is small and many cuvées are highly allocated.
Ollos de Roque
Estate white — AugalevadaThe flagship — named for Iago's son. 60% Treixadura, 20% Lado, 20% Agudelo from the Augalevada vineyard on pure granite. Pressed directly, fermented partially in stainless steel at very low temperatures and partially in old oak barrels, then aged for 10 months under a thin layer of flor in a mix of 400-litre buried tinajas and old 600/840-litre oak barrels. Blended in June, bottled in August the following year, then bottle-aged another year before release. Crystalline and lifted: pink grapefruit, tarragon, roses, wet stone. Lush and round yet packed with salivating, razor-like acidity. Saltiness and fine bitters extend a lengthy, energetic finish. A wine that makes you rethink what Ribeiro can be. 93/100 (Wine Anorak).
Ollos de Maia
Estate red — AugalevadaThe estate red — first released with the 2022 vintage. 45% Caíño Longo, 45% Brancellao, 10% Caíño da Terra from Augalevada's own granitic terraces. Aged in larger oak vessels, partially under flor. Lovely tension, good acidity, lively fruit. Expressive with dried herbs, wild strawberries, and a savoury, meaty undertone that builds with air. The flor influence is unmistakable — this is not a fruity Galician red. It is a wine of umami and mineral tension, closer to Jura than to Mencía. 94/100 (Wine Anorak).
Ollos Branco
Purchased fruit white — RibeiroA vibrant, accessible white from purchased fruit across the Ribeiro DO: Treixadura, Albariño, Palomino, Godello, Caíño Branco, Torrontés, and Lado from clean-farming growers on decomposed granite along the Miño, Avia and Arnoia rivers. Fermented in stainless steel with native yeasts, then transferred to barrels and tinajas for ageing under flor. Texture and sapidity define this wine — well-integrated volatile acidity and savouriness make a convincing case for umami in wine. Lively, bright, vivid and mineral. 92/100 (Wine Anorak).
Ollos Tinto
Purchased fruit red — RibeiroCaíño Longo, Brancellao, Espadeiro and Sousón from 15-30-year-old vineyards throughout the Ribeiro DO. Fermented in open vats where whole grapes are foot-trodden, then "massaged" by hand for light extraction. 70% whole cluster in recent vintages. Aged 10 months in old demi-muids (two-thirds) and buried tinajas (one-third), all under flor. Fresh and floral with a savoury edge. Aromas of watermelon, menthol, spices and cured meat. Wide dynamic range with subtle meaty depth as well as freshness. The kind of red that disappears faster than you can decant it. 94/100 (Wine Anorak).
Mercenario Tinto Añada Selección
Single-barrel selection — RibeiroA minuscule-production wine aged in one 600-litre old French oak barrel for ten months. The grapes come from older vines (up to 45 years) on the best plots throughout the Ribeiro DO, with some fruit from Augalevada for good measure. 60% Caíño Longo, 30% Brancellao, 10% Caíño da Terra. Long, gentle fermentation with 60% whole bunches. Harvested slightly later than the classic Mercenario to produce deeper, meatier wines. In the same vein as the classic tinto but complexity, depth and length are significantly stepped up. A collector's item that proves Galician reds can age with the best of the Jura.
Crianza Biolóxica / Parcela Eiravedra
Flor-aged Albariño — Rías BaixasIago's most audacious wine: 100% Albariño from Parcela Eiravedra in the Val do Salnés, sourced through his friend Xurxo Alba of Albamar. The vines are 60 years old, just 3km from the ocean, on granite at 120m altitude. Fermented in stainless steel, then transferred to 500/600-litre barrels where Iago adds 5% wine from "la madre" — a buried tinaja under thick flor started in 2011. A 12-month ageing under flor follows. The result is a wine that can be served blind among Jura Vin Jaunes and great Savagnins: almond, sea salt, dried herbs, citrus peel, and a haunting umami character that lasts for minutes. Proof that Iago's vision extends far beyond Ribeiro.
Parcela O Balado
Single vineyard — MonterreiFrom an 80-year-old single vineyard in Monterrei — a sandy south-facing plot overlooking the Alberellos river — courtesy of José Luis Mateo of Quinta da Muradella. 80% Doña Branca, 20% Palomino, with small amounts of Treixadura, Godello and Torrontés. Fermented in stainless steel, then 10 months ageing in old chestnut barrels. Built around texture: Doña Branca brings its typical moreish richness and bitters, while the sandy soil and southern exposure give the wine a warmth and depth that contrasts with the Atlantic tension of Iago's Ribeiro whites. A cross-regional collaboration between two of Galicia's most exacting minds.
Legacy — The Flor Farmer
Fazenda Agricola Augalevada matters because Iago Garrido has done something that sounds simple but is almost unprecedented: he has introduced systematic flor ageing to Galicia — not as a curiosity, but as the defining signature of an entire winery. In a region where winemakers obsess over stainless steel cleanliness and anaerobic protection, Iago has embraced the oxidative, the wild, and the unpredictable. Every barrel, every amphora, every buried tinaja in his granitic cellar develops its own flor culture. The result is a lineup of wines that taste like Saumur, the Jura, and Ribeiro all at once — a triangulation of terroir that expands the vocabulary of what Spanish wine can be.
His legacy is agricultural. As the first Demeter-certified biodynamic producer in Ribeiro's history, Iago has proven that organic and biodynamic farming are possible even in one of Spain's most mildew-plagued, humidity-soaked regions. The cows, the chickens, the orchard, the vegetable patch — this is not marketing. It is permaculture in practice, a rejection of the chemical treadmill that has devastated so much of European viticulture.
His legacy is also genetic. By re-grafting his initial Godello and Treixadura plantings to Lado, Agudelo, Brancellao, Caíño Longo, and Caíño da Terra, he has recovered varieties that were on the verge of disappearance in Ribeiro. Agudelo — confirmed by DNA analysis to be Chenin Blanc, brought by monks centuries ago — is now the backbone of his greatest white. Caíño da Terra (Trousseau) gives his reds a mint-and-orange freshness that is unmistakable. These are not blending grapes. They are the future of the region.
And his legacy is philosophical. Iago is intuitive, experimental, and unafraid of mistakes. The Número Dous accident taught him that the best wines often come from letting go — from allowing the yeast to do what it wants, the flor to form where it will, and the wine to find its own shape. In an era of technical perfection and laboratory control, Augalevada is a reminder that wine is alive, and that the most profound expressions often come from the winemaker who knows when to step back.
From the football pitches of Ourense to the granitic terraces behind San Clodio, Iago Garrido has walked an unlikely path. But the destination is clear: one of Spain's most influential winegrowers, making wines that taste like nowhere else — carried by water, covered in flor, and utterly, defiantly alive.