Cambados, a lovely town at the Rías Baixas. The city is mainly known as the capital of the wine region Rías Baixas and host of the yearly ‘Festa do Albariño’. Secondly, the city is a nice coastal town at the Ría de Arousa. Cambados is located between Santiago de Compostela and Pontevedra.
Wine capital of the Rías Baixas
As mentioned, Cambados is seen as the wine capital of the wine region Denominación de Origen (D.O.) Rías Baixas, one of the five wine regions of Galicia. This official wine region extends over 5 distinctive zones of the Galician region Rías Baixas. The region of the most southern estuaries of Galicia.
Why is Cambados seen as capital of the wine region and capital of Albariño? The village is not the biggest city in the wine region, neither its most central place. Reason Cambados got this title is it’s effort to promote wine from the region. Since 1953 Cambados hosts the yearly ‘Festa do Albariño’. The first event was organised by some local winery’s to determine who had made that year’s best Albariño wine. The event became a tradition and nowadays Spains best sommeliers travel to Cambados in summer to participate. During the years the event also grew from just a wine contest to an event with music, folklore and off course still a lot of (good) wine. Many people travel every year in summer to Cambados and the city is filled with winelovers and bodega’s who present their goods.
Especially 2017 was a special year to Cambados. The city was named European wine capital of the year. It was just the 6th time this prestigious title had been awarded!
Well, 2017 is history and the Festa do Albariño neither is a continious event. Therefore the cities marketing office came up with something else, they invented the ‘Route Cambados’. This is a tour including many vineyards and bodega. Many of them even within the cities borders and can be accesed easily by foot. A practical benefit when tasting wines!
What else to do in Cambados?
When around, what else has Cambados to offer then just a beautiful environment and some good wines? The small villages of nearly 20.000 inhabitants. is really authentic and lacks massa tourism in comparison to some other spots at the Ria de Arousa.
Just as many coastal villages of the Ria de Arousa, Cambados has an harbour. In this harbour the fresh seafood enters. It are those seafood that combines very well with the famous Albariño wine from the region. Besides fishing many seafood is gathered by the locals themselves. When the sea recedes and the tide comes in, the residents, mainly women, go to the beach and gather delicious shellfish to eat the same day.
The city town is attractive to have a small walk. In the old centre of Cambados you will find some of the most remarkable Pazos, traditional country houses of the notables in Galicia.
Your walk will definitely lead you to the main city square, the famous Plaza de Fefiñáns. Once there, you’re back where you begon, because at this main square the yearly Festa do Albariño takes place. In the end, you always end up with wine in Cambados, capital of the Albariño.
Thinking about Cambados? Definitely worth a visit if you like wine. If wine is not your biggest passion, you can still pass by the city when touring around the Rias Baixas, but don’t make Cambados you’re number one stop. There are more lovely places to visit at the Rías Baixas, like for example O’Grove & La Toxa or Sanxenxo.