According to the legend, the place name Ribeira Sacra comes from the Latin “Rivoira Sacrata” and that it is due to the large amount of monasteries and temples located among the enormous canyons and steep slopes that mark the area. The Ribeira Sacra is an area that includes the banks of the rivers Sil and Miño. The D.O. Ribeira Sacra was created in 1996 and today it is divided into five subsections: Amandi, Chantada, Quiroga-Bibei, Ribeiras do Miño and Ribeiras do Sil.

Under the protection of the rivers it provides a microclimate to the area, that together with the southern orientation of the steep slopes favours the correct ripening that the grapes need for the preparation of wines that in Roman times were described as the Liquid Gold of the Sil. Ribeira Sacra is one of the main examples of what is known as heroic vine-growing. The term refers to the conditions of a land that make working with the vines quite complicated and that cause wine growers and wine producers to defy any fear of heights from the terraces. This is the reason why these wines are so prized and admired.

The Ribeira Sacra especially stands out because of its reds, although it also has whites of great value. The Mencía variety is the most grown and produces young wines, fruity and with balanced acidity and very aromatic. The white Godello wines stand out for being fresh, intensely aromatic and full.