Successive vineyard plantations at Valdesil have been carried out using cuttings taken from Pedrouzos, the oldest Godello vineyard in the world, so that Valdesil’s own vineyards reproduce the original clone and maintain the differences that set it apart from other clones present in Valdeorras (smaller bunches, lower yields, higher concentration of juice).

Valdeorras has achieved international acclaim thanks to its Godello white wines. However, the region has also traditionally grown the Mencia red variety. In this cool climate, Mencia red wines develop a very characteristic subtle flavour.

This grape variety originates from various crosses and graftings on to wild vines carried out by monastic orders which arrived in the neighbouring Bierzo region from the Burgundy vineyard area of France. These orders were the the Cluny order (originating from Saône et Loire in the 10th century) and the Cistercians (from Dijon in the 11th century).

Much later during the 1940s when bulk wine was in great demand, the Mencia vineyard expanded in the area, but unsuitable rootstocks and unfamiliar clones for the region were often used, resulting in heterogeneity in these Mencia plantations.  This situation explains the very great differences in quality between different wines according to the estates where the grapes are grown.

In recent years, this variety has also been planted in the nearby, recently-established Ribeira Sacra appellation where there are a significant number of young Mencia trellis-grown vineyards.