Bodegas Martín Códax

Bodegas Martín Códax is one of the best-known wineries in Cambados, at the heart of Galicia's Rías Baixas region.

Where does the winery's name come from?

The name honors Martín Códax, the most celebrated Galician-Portuguese troubadour, active in the 13th century. His surviving cantigas are the oldest known works in that language to have come down to us complete with their original musical notation, singing of love and of the sea that laps the Galician coast. When local winegrowers founded the company, they chose to link the brand to this cultural legacy, tying the winery firmly to the folklore and identity of the Val do Salnés valley the troubadour is associated with.

How did the winery in Cambados come about?

The bodega was set up in the mid-1980s by a group of local growers from Cambados who saw the potential of the Albariño grape and decided to join forces in a cooperative venture. What began as a modest, community-driven project has grown into one of the largest and most internationally recognized wine producers in Rías Baixas. Today it draws grapes from hundreds of growing families working a great many small, scattered plots across the Cambados area and the Val do Salnés valley — the classic Galician patchwork of tiny vineyards that gives the winery's Albariño its distinctive range of styles.

What wines are worth trying?

The company produces wine under several different labels, reflecting the range of styles found within the Albariño grape and the DO Rías Baixas designation of origin. Alongside its flagship range named after the troubadour, the portfolio includes other in-house brands made from the same grape but aimed at different palates, from fresh, fruit-forward whites to more structured wines built for longer aging. Albariño remains the common thread running through everything the winery makes, the grape variety Rías Baixas has become internationally known for.

Why is Martín Códax worth a visit?

The winery ranks among the top sellers across the whole Rías Baixas appellation and ships its wines to dozens of countries, making it one of the leading ambassadors for Albariño outside Spain. For visitors to Cambados, that translates into a firsthand look at a region where winemaking has been intertwined with fishing and Atlantic coastal life for generations. Its setting in Vilariño, right next to Cambados and at the very center of the Val do Salnés valley, makes a visit easy to combine with a tour of the surrounding vineyards and a meal built around local seafood, a natural pairing for Albariño's bright acidity.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Bodegas Martín Códax located? The winery sits in Vilariño, next to Cambados, in the province of Pontevedra, within the Rías Baixas region of Galicia, right in the middle of the Val do Salnés valley.

Where does the winery's name come from? From Martín Códax, a 13th-century Galician-Portuguese troubadour whose cantigas are the oldest surviving works in the language preserved with their original music, celebrating love and the sea.

Which grape variety defines the winery's wines? Albariño, the white grape that defines the Rías Baixas region and forms the basis of most of the wines the winery produces.

Is the winery significant for the wider region? Yes — it is one of the largest and most recognized producers within the Rías Baixas appellation, exporting to many countries and helping promote the local winemaking tradition abroad.