12/19/25 - 

High in the mountains of eastern Galicia, in the rugged landscapes of Valdeorras and the Ribeira Sacra, Nacho González is making wines that stand out. His project, La Perdida, is inspired by old vineyards of the area: wild, overgrown, biodiverse parcels that are difficult to access and anything but uniform. These are vineyards defined by isolation, granite, slate, and a climate that balances Atlantic freshness with inland intensity.
 
Nacho works primarily with co-planted, old vines of local varietals; many planted between the 1940s and 1970s. Often planted amongst these native grapes are vines of Palomino (relics of the Franco-era mandate to plant high-yielding varietals) as well as smaller amounts of Sumoll from Catalunya. The vineyards are farmed organically, by hand, often with the help of friends rather than machines. The approach to winemaking here is straightforward, but sensitive: native fermentations, open-top neutral vessels, minimal sulfur, and absolutely no make-up. The goal is not polish, but clarity, letting site and season speak plainly.

La Perdida began as a deeply personal project in the early 2000s. When his grandmother passed down the old O Trancado vineyard to him, Nacho (already then a biologist by trade) was quick to understand the significance of the old, co-planted site. Having grown up making wine with the same grandmother, Nacho, already passionate about wine, didn't hesitate to return home to invest in abandoned parcels, reviving vineyards that today feel almost miraculous in their vitality. What he makes now are not modern wines, but something far older in spirit.

This year, we are excited to have a strong lineup of La Perdida’s red wines, spanning several distinct sites and expressions. From the dense, berry-fruit driven Proscrito to the more earthy, savory tones revealed in the Meu bottling, each wine shows a different face of Valdeorras. Despite their differences, they all share a throughline of vivid acidity, and a rustic, authentic fruit character that makes them quite appetizing.

These are wines that excel at the dining table, and their soulfulness is particularly appropriate for holiday meals with good company. They shine with simple, rustic cooking, be it grilled lamb, roasts with herbs, mushrooms, lentils, and anything involving olive oil and smoke. While there is real seriousness and depth here, the wines are never heavy or brooding. They open easily, evolve beautifully in the glass, and add an extra dimension of character without losing their balance. For anyone interested in the wines of Galicia, or Spain as a whole, these shouldn’t be overlooked, and that is because of the inspired vision of the terroir that Nacho conveys. Instead of looking elsewhere for the notion of a good vineyard and a good wine, La Perdida represents what can be achieved by farming with care. The quantity of production itself is quite low-scale and very little wine makes it to the US. Prices have managed to remain the same despite tariffs… you know the drill, get them while you can!
 
-Nick Douglas

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