Ribeira Sacra – Holy Bank – is the name of a small region in Galicia. The Miño and Sil rivers have cut ravines of up to 500 metres deep into the mountains here – a challenge for driver and vehicle.

Dark clouds brew, wafts of mist rise above the steep inclines of the ravine and give a touch of drama to the already breathtaking impression that travellers get when they first see the Sil canyon in the far northwest of the Iberian peninsula. Rock faces rise almost vertically to the left and right of the river valley. It is precisely these steep hillsides that are among the oldest wine-growing regions in Spain. “Sil gold” is what the Romans called the vines that they planted here on tiny, painstakingly created terraces. To this day, the Galician winemakers have grown the popular “Amandi” here – thereby attracting more and more visitors to this otherwise barren landscape.