First century. Amandi, the wine that was savoured by the Roman emperors.The wine-making tradition of the parish of Amandi, which is considered as the epicentre for wine production in the Ribeira Sacra, actually dates back to before the Roman rule. Tradition has it that their wines were sent to Rome to be savoured by the emperors and their high dignitaries. The wine-filled amphorae were transported by cart to a sea port before being loaded on to boats.

Fifteenth century. The monasteries, large producers of wineWine played and continues to play a fundamental role in Christian liturgy. This meant that the clergy would always have a need for vineyards. According to historians, at the same time as cathedrals and monasteries were being built, vineyards were also being planted.   All of the vineyard plantations in the Middle Ages belonged to religious orders and feudal lords.

Developments in machinery have had a limited effect on this type of viticulture given that the vertiginous slopes make it impossible for tasks to be mechanised in the vineyards, although rails are occasionally used for transporting the grapes. All of those who work on these lands are able to perfectly understand the meaning of words such as sacrifice, adversity and hard work. If we had to use just one word to sum up what we feel for this environment, it would be “respect”.