The Barros family has grown Albariño grapes since the 1970s. At that time the Regulatory Council had not been formed and grape production was done informally on tiny plots of land. José Barros planted 100,000 m2 of vines, which at that time was one of the most decisive commitments to the Albariño variety as well as one of the largest vineyards in Galicia.

After the creation of the Denomination of Origin, the winery was founded under the name Maior de Mendoza, after a family’s commitment to a land and its history, as Lady Maior de Mendoza was the wife of Fernando Mariño de Lobera Monterrei y Soutomaior who, among other titles, held that of Lord of Trabanca after which the location of the bodega is named.

From the very beginning their philosophy has been based on getting the best out of the Albariño variety, taking care of it with the greatest respect for the environment, and maximum professionalism. Their objective has always been to understand the rhythm of the vineyard, the grape and the wine, adapting all of their working processes to them. This philosophy underlies, and is reflected in, all of their work procedures, and has always been more than a job; it is a way of life. They believe that only in this way, from their passion for this marvellous variety, can a decisive commitment to quality be made.

Major de Mendoza’s plots comprises their own supervised vineyards. They look for granitic–sandy pieces of land, protected from the north wind, on gentle sloping hillsides. This allows drainage and provides plantation frames with wide pathways to aid ventilation.

They have been pioneer in integrated production programs and work without using herbicides or environmentally-unfriendly products. All pruning, thinning, defoliation, harvests, etc. is performed without machines, and with the greatest respect for the vine and low yields.

Work on the different plots is done in different ways depending on their needs as determined by the vintner’s experienced and highly trained technical team, as each plot has its own rhythm and special features.