The Atlantic Refinement & the Albariño Purists
Alberto Nanclares and Silvia Prieto are the meticulous duo behind Nanclares y Prieto — one of the most distinctive and terroir-obsessed estates in Rías Baixas. Based in the historic village of Cambados, in the heart of the Val do Salnés, they farm roughly 5 hectares of Albariño divided into 12 to 14 small parcels, all trained in the traditional pergola style and planted on sandy decomposed granite overlooking the Atlantic. Alberto was an economist in Madrid who moved to Galicia in 1992 to sail the Rías; the house he bought in Castrelo came with a small vineyard, and by 1997 he had converted his garage into a winery. What began as a retirement hobby became a life’s work. Silvia, a lab technician from Pontevedra, met Alberto in 2009 and joined the project in 2015 as an equal partner — her name added to the label immediately, signalling a shared philosophy. Together they have achieved something rare: the refinement of Albariño into angular, age-worthy, mineral wines that express the fascinating terruños of Cambados with transparency and precision. They farm organically, ferment with indigenous yeasts, avoid de-acidification, and bottle without clarification or filtration — allowing the Atlantic, the granite, and the old vines to speak with absolute clarity.
Alberto Nanclares & the Economist's Vineyard
The story of Nanclares y Prieto begins not with a family legacy, but with a sailing boat and a desire to escape. Alberto Nanclares was an economist in Madrid, working at the university, when he and his wife decided to leave the city for the Atlantic coast. Alberto loved the sea and sailing, and in 1992 they moved to the quietly beautiful Val do Salnés in Rías Baixas, settling in the seaside parroquia of Castrelo, just a few kilometres from the historic village of Cambados — the most traditional and celebrated centre for Albariño in Spain. The plan was simple: sail his vintage wooden skiff between the tiny islands of the Rías, breathe the ocean air, and unwind.
But the small house they purchased came with something unexpected: a vineyard behind the old farmhouse. Initially, Alberto had no intention of making wine. He began tending the vines mostly out of curiosity, with the help of neighbours and local advice. The vineyard grew on him — literally and figuratively. By 1997, he had invested in basic winemaking equipment and established a tiny winery in his garage. He farmed conventionally at first, but his economist's mind could not ignore the evidence: the chemicals felt wrong in the vineyard, and they showed up in the wines. Gradually, based on his own observations, he moved away from systematic herbicides and pesticides, eventually eliminating chemicals altogether. By the late 1990s, Nanclares was farming organically — a feat many believed impossible in the wet, vigorous conditions of Salnés, where disease pressure is high and growth is relentless.
Alberto worked with an enologist for several years, but that relationship ended when the consultant insisted he chemically de-acidify his wines — a standard practice in Rías Baixas that Alberto refused to accept. In 2007, he took over full-time winemaking duties himself. He began acquiring additional plots around Cambados, then further inland near Meaño, and finally a series of parcels along the coastal outcrop near Sanxenxo — the purchase made possible by the sale of his beloved old boat. The village wine of Sanxenxo, Tempus Vivendi, still bears a sketch of that boat on its label: the symbolic end of retirement and the formal beginning of a whole new career.
Silvia Prieto was born in Pontevedra, the closest city to Rías Baixas. Her journey with wine began in 2003 at local tastings, and she first met Alberto in 2009. A lab technician by training, she founded her own company providing analysis and consultation for wineries, with a focus on traditional approaches, organic viticulture, and minimal additives. Her acquaintance with Alberto developed over years, and in August 2015 she joined the project — first for the harvest, then as a full partner. True to Alberto's humble and generous nature, her name was immediately added to the labels: Bodegas Nanclares became Nanclares y Prieto. It has proven to be a fortuitous pairing. Alberto and Silvia have different backgrounds and personalities, but they share a meticulous, restless intensity — a constant desire to improve, question, and refine. They work together as equal partners in the vineyard and the cellar, and the wines express that collaboration in every bottle.
"In the winery, we respect the grapes as much as possible, we don't use any winemaking additions besides moderate amounts of SO₂. We do not ferment with pie de cuba in order to preserve the identity of each vineyard."
— Alberto Nanclares
Cambados, Val do Salnés & the Granitic Atlantic
Rías Baixas is the most celebrated white wine region of Galicia, in the northwest corner of Spain — a landscape of green hills, deep estuaries, and a coastline so indented it resembles a fjord. Within it, the Val do Salnés is the oldest and most prestigious subzone, a valley that runs from the interior toward the Atlantic, shaped by the Ría de Arousa and the Ría de Pontevedra. It is here, around the historic village of Cambados, that Nanclares y Prieto farm their vines. The estate is not a single contiguous property but a mosaic of 12 to 14 small parcels scattered across the parroquias of Castrelo (south Cambados), Vilariño (north Cambados), and Padrenda (north Meaño), with additional plots in Sanxenxo, Ribadumia, and beyond.
The vineyards are planted entirely in the traditional pergola style — elevated trellises that lift the Albariño canopy high above the ground, allowing Atlantic breezes to circulate and reducing humidity around the fruit. This is not a modern choice; it is the ancestral architecture of Rías Baixas, designed for a region where mildew and rot are constant threats. Alberto and Silvia have preserved this system because it works — and because it is part of the terroir. The soils are sandy decomposed granite, with pockets of clay and alluvial deposits, resting on granitic bedrock that fractures easily and drains freely. The granite gives the wines their signature mineral backbone, salinity, and electric acidity — a stony, almost flinty character that underpins every cuvée.
The Atlantic influence is the defining climatic factor. The vineyards overlook the Ría de Arousa and the open ocean, receiving daily sea breezes that moderate temperature, slow ripening, and preserve acidity. The humidity is high, the skies are often grey, and the growing season is long and cool — conditions that many producers combat with chemicals, but that Alberto and Silvia navigate through organic farming, canopy management, and biodiversity. They treat the soil with a combination of algae from the local Rías and decomposed grape must from previous vintages, feeding the vines naturally and strengthening their resistance. No herbicides, no synthetic fertilisers, no chemical synthesis products. All work is done by hand on the pergola-trained vines: pruning, leaf-pulling, harvesting into small crates, and sorting in the vineyard.
The result is a terroir that is simultaneously maritime and mineral, green and granitic. The wines possess a unique tension: the ripeness and floral aromatics of Albariño, but sharpened by Atlantic salinity, granite crunch, and the cool patience of a northern coast. From the vineyard, on a clear day, you can see the islands of the Ría and the open Atlantic beyond. The granite glitters under the Galician rain. The pergolas stand like green cathedrals above the soil. This is the terroir of Nanclares y Prieto: not a gentle landscape, but a demanding one — where wine is made in dialogue with the ocean, and where Alberto and Silvia have proven, for over two decades, that the most transparent wines come from the most stubborn respect for place.
Alberto and Silvia are based in Cambados, in the Val do Salnés subzone of Rías Baixas, Galicia's most prestigious white wine region. They farm roughly 5 hectares of Albariño across 12 to 14 small parcels in Castrelo, Vilariño, Padrenda, and Sanxenxo, with additional fruit sourced from trusted growers across the Salnés and Condado zones. The Val do Salnés is the oldest subzone of Rías Baixas, defined by its proximity to the Atlantic, its granitic soils, and its tradition of pergola-trained Albariño. Cambados is considered the historic heart of the region, a village of stone arcades, tidal estuaries, and a deep wine culture.
The vineyards sit on sandy decomposed granite soils with pockets of clay and alluvial deposits — free-draining, mineral-rich, and distinctly flinty. The granite gives the wines their signature salinity, electric acidity, and stony backbone. All vines are trained in the traditional pergola style, elevated high above the ground to allow Atlantic breezes to circulate and reduce humidity. This is the ancestral viticultural architecture of Rías Baixas, preserved by Alberto and Silvia not as nostalgia but as functional terroir expression. A landscape of green canopy, grey stone, and ocean air.
Alberto abandoned chemicals in the late 1990s, making Nanclares y Prieto one of the earliest organic estates in a region where many believed chemical-free farming was impossible due to wet conditions and high disease pressure. The soil is treated with algae from the local Rías and decomposed grape must from previous vintages. All vineyard work is done by hand on the pergola-trained vines. No herbicides, no synthetic fertilisers, no chemical synthesis products. The goal is maximum expression of Atlantic freshness, granitic minerality, and the identity of each individual parcel.
In the small bodega — originally a garage — everything is done with minimal intervention and maximum respect for the grape. Indigenous yeasts. No de-acidification (no potassium added). Moderate amounts of SO₂, but no other additives. Malolactic fermentation is rare. The wines spend a good amount of time, often a year or more, on their lees before being bottled without clarification or filtration. Each parcel is vinified separately in a mix of stainless steel, used French oak, clay tinajas, and old chestnut barrels. The cellar is not a technological facility; it is a quiet workshop where patience and precision translate Atlantic Albariño into wine of startling clarity.
Transparency & the Refusal to De-Acidify
The guiding philosophy of Nanclares y Prieto is reverence for the vineyard translated into transparency in the glass. Alberto and Silvia do not seek to mould Albariño into a soft, commercial product; they seek to reveal what the grape, the granite, and the Atlantic can achieve when left alone. Their approach is deliberately restrained: organic farming, hand harvest, indigenous yeasts, minimal SO₂, no de-acidification, no clarification, no filtration. The result is a style of Albariño that is angular, mineral, and age-worthy — a world away from the simple, fruity whites that dominate much of Rías Baixas.
The methodology is precise and fundamentally non-invasive. All grapes are hand-harvested from organic, chemical-free vines on pergola trellises, then sorted and gently pressed in whole bunches using a pneumatic press. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with native yeasts — Alberto and Silvia refuse to use pie de cuba (pied-de-cuve) in order to preserve the identity of each vineyard. Critically, they do not add potassium to de-acidify, a near-universal practice in Rías Baixas that softens the wine but strips it of its natural edge. They believe Albariño's high acidity is not a flaw to be corrected but a signature to be celebrated. Malolactic fermentation rarely occurs, preserving the grape's sharp, citrus-driven profile.
The wines are aged on their lees for extended periods — often a year or more — with regular batonnage in the early months to build texture and complexity. Each parcel is vinified separately in a carefully chosen vessel: stainless steel for purity and freshness; used French oak barrels for structure and subtle roundness; clay tinajas for texture and breathability; and old chestnut barrels for the most traditional expressions. The wines are then assembled into cuvées that reflect specific vineyards, specific soil types, or specific winemaking approaches. Some cuvées see no sulfur at all; others receive moderate amounts at bottling. But there is never clarification, never filtration, never a corrective addition that overrides the vintage.
The result is a portfolio of wines that are honest, precise, and alive — wines that have earned a devoted following among sommeliers and fine-wine professionals worldwide. As Alberto has stated, they respect the grapes as much as possible, using no winemaking additions besides moderate SO₂, in order to let each vineyard speak. The cellar is not a factory; it is a quiet extension of the Atlantic coast, where Alberto and Silvia provide only their labour, their patience, and their absolute refusal to soften what the Rías Baixas has already made sharp, saline, and beautiful.
Indigenous Yeasts, Granite & No De-Acidification
The guiding principle of Nanclares y Prieto is that the wine is made by the Atlantic, guided by two decades of organic farming, and bottled with absolutely nothing corrected. Alberto and Silvia's approach — organic farming on granitic sands in the Val do Salnés, hand harvest from old pergola-trained vines, spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, extended lees aging without batonnage after the early months, and bottling without clarification, filtration, or de-acidification — is not a rejection of modernity but a refinement of it. The granite provides mineral backbone and salinity. The Atlantic provides acidity and freshness. The pergola provides health and balance. And Alberto and Silvia provide only their precision, their patience, and their refusal to soften what the Ría de Arousa has already made electric. The cellar is not a factory; it is a continuation of the vineyard, where they do what they have done since 1997: let Cambados speak.
Paraje Mina, Soverribas, Coccinella & the Cambados Terroirs
Alberto and Silvia produce a focused, terroir-driven portfolio of Albariño-based wines from their own vineyards and from selected parcels farmed by trusted growers across the Salnés and Condado zones. The core range is drawn from their 12 to 14 owned parcels around Cambados, Castrelo, and Meaño — vines ranging from 15 to over 100 years old, all trained in pergola and planted on granitic soils. Each parcel is vinified separately, then blended or bottled alone to create cuvées that express specific terruños, specific soil types, or specific winemaking approaches. The portfolio spans crisp Atlantic whites, skin-contact orange wines, lees-aged barrel expressions, ancestral-method sparklers, and rare Galician reds — all united by a common foundation: organic grapes, indigenous yeasts, no de-acidification, extended lees contact, and bottling without clarification or filtration. The result is a range that is as diverse as it is coherent: electric, saline Albariños of startling clarity; deep, textured skin-contact wines; and angular reds from indigenous Galician varieties that defy the region's white-wine reputation.
Rías Baixas & the Refusal to Soften
Alberto Nanclares and Silvia Prieto are not merely winemakers; they are refiners and resistors — a duo who have helped to redefine what Albariño can be in an era when the grape was in danger of homogenisation. In a region dominated by large cooperatives, chemical agriculture, and wines softened into anonymous fruitiness, Alberto and Silvia represent something rare and vital: a bridge between the deepest traditions of Galician mountain viticulture and the most uncompromising practices of minimal-intervention winemaking. They were organic before it was common, natural before it was marketable, and angular before it was fashionable. Nanclares y Prieto is not merely a source of wine; it is a model for how to listen, how to ferment, and how to resist the pressure to conform.
The legacy of Nanclares y Prieto extends far beyond the bottle. As one of the earliest estates in Rías Baixas to farm organically — and to do so successfully in the wet, challenging conditions of Salnés — Alberto helped to prove that chemical-free viticulture was possible in Galicia. His refusal to de-acidify, his insistence on indigenous yeasts, and his extended lees ageing have established a new paradigm for Albariño: one that values minerality, salinity, and age-worthiness over simple approachability. The addition of Silvia in 2015 brought new energy, new precision, and a new generation of experimentation — from clay tinajas to ancient chestnut barrels, from biodynamic bottling days to rare Galician reds. Their collaboration has inspired a generation of younger producers across Galicia to think beyond appellation, beyond convention, and beyond the fear of acidity.
The future of Nanclares y Prieto is tied to the future of Cambados. As the region faces the pressures of climate change, tourism, and the industrialisation of Albariño, Alberto and Silvia continue to work as they always have — not by expanding, but by deepening. More careful vineyard management. More precise parcel selection. More patience in the cellar. And more wines that taste of nothing but the Atlantic: the granite, the pergolas, the sea breeze, the old vines, and the quiet persistence of a former economist and a lab technician who chose to make wine at the edge of the Ría. The story of Nanclares y Prieto is the story of a sailing boat that became a vineyard, and of a partnership built on precision, humility, and the refusal to soften what the Atlantic has already made sharp — a story that is still being written, one vintage, one zero-compromise bottle, one act of Galician clarity at a time.
"We respect the grapes as much as possible. We don't use any winemaking additions besides moderate amounts of SO₂."
— Alberto Nanclares & Silvia Prieto