Godello
Classic aromas of Godello are: Lime, Grapefruit, Green Apple, Lemon and White Peach
Godello is a white grape varietal that hails from northern Spain. It is believed that Godello originates in the region of Galicia in the north-west of Spain and has been planted here since the early 14th century.
Due to a lack of knowledge on Godello and a preference for more aromatically interesting/easy-to-commerically-sell many winemakers either pulled out their vines or just never planted Godello. This led to a mere 700 vines of Godello in existence in the 1970s. It is thanks to a the ‘Godello Revival’ project in the early 1980s which helped to spread knowledge of Godello’s brilliance and thus plantings flourished. There are now 1,153ha of Godello spread across Spain – with the majority being in Galicia and the Valdeorras appellations in north-western Spain.
Across the border in Portugal it is known as Gouveio and is mainly planted in the Douro Valley. Here there is a total of 970a and makes crisp dry whites and sparkling wines.
The best examples of Godello showcase lime, lemon and grapefruit flavours alongside of honeydew melon and white peach aromas. Many producers will often give Godello barrel-ageing which helps to give the resulting wines nutty flavours and a fuller body.