Fillaboa, the winery belonging to the DO Rías Baixas of Masaveu Wineries, is ranked among the highest-rated white wines by airlines and their passengers.
Its excellent quality has led a major airline like United Airlines to sign a contract with the Galician winery, allowing the inclusion of Fillaboa 2018 as the official wine in United’s Polaris business class on long-haul international flights to Europe and South America. United Polaris business class is the American airline’s commitment to exclusivity and excellence, offering a premium service across its entire fleet of long-haul international flights.
This agreement translates into the marketing of 30,000 bottles that will accompany the gourmet menus in business class, created by the airline’s executive chefs and chefs from the Trotter Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to guiding and inspiring a new generation of culinary minds.
The Trotter Project was founded after the death of American chef Charlie Trotter, a pioneer of culinary innovation in the United States who introduced a new approach to dining in the country. His contribution to American and global cuisine was recognized by the initiative bearing his name, which collaborates with the airline that has chosen Fillaboa to pair with the business class menus.
In this way, the airline’s passengers will enjoy a ‘high-flying’ culinary experience with dishes made from fresh ingredients and flavors from around the world, which will vary each month, paired with one of Bodegas Fillaboa’s Albariños.
This solidifies the prestige of this wine as a ‘top-tier’ wine, meeting the high-quality standards demanded by the American airline. The winery has a limited annual production of 200,000 bottles, focusing solely on controlling the process—ensuring the quality of the wine. Currently, it is primarily distributed through the hospitality and restaurant sector, with around 40% of its production being exported, mainly to countries such as Switzerland, China, Denmark, the United States, and Germany.
Fillaboa 2018 is a 100% Albariño white wine, fresh, elegant, and fruity, fermented in stainless steel tanks at low temperatures. The wine is then aged on its fine lees for six months, preserving its freshness and complexity.
This Albariño is one of the three offerings from the Galician winery, alongside other prestigious Albariños that have earned significant international awards. For example, La Fillaboa 1898 received the Best in Show at the 2019 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), the highest distinction at the most influential wine competition in the world.
For José Masaveu, general director of Masaveu Wineries, “this award is a recognition of the work carried out by our entire team in the production and promotion of the whites from Fillaboa Wineries, which undoubtedly elevate Albariños to the highest level of quality, being one of the group’s firm commitments,” he explains.
Fillaboa Wineries
Fillaboa is a historic manor whose estate has remained undivided over the centuries, being one of the largest, most beautiful, and oldest estates in Galicia, and the only one that, due to its special characteristics, belongs to Grandes Pagos de España. Behind the 1,600 meters of the thick stone wall that protects the property, in addition to the vineyards, lie the winery and a spectacular reconstructed stately manor.
54 hectares of Albariño grape vineyards planted on rolling slopes make up the Fillaboa estate, which spans a total of 74 hectares spread across 12 plots on the natural border with Portugal, alongside the Tea and Miño rivers. The rich soils and the Atlantic climate, with mild temperatures due to the proximity to the sea, make Fillaboa a privileged place for the cultivation of the native Albariño grape.
Masaveu Wineries
The Masaveu family began investing in the wine sector in 1974, when they acquired Bodegas Murua, but the family’s vineyard plantings date back to the mid-19th century, specifically in Castellar del Vallés, the family’s place of origin, where Federico Masaveu Rivell laid the foundations that his descendants would continue a century later.
Since then, Bodegas Masaveu has continued to grow, becoming a benchmark for the quality of its wines produced in different Designations of Origin (DOs), as well as for its environmental philosophy and deep respect for the land. The winery owns its own vineyard plantations, which allow it to capture and convey, in every bottle, the unique personality of each terroir.
In this way, a common thread unites all of Masaveu Bodegas’ projects across different regions: Fillaboa (DO Rías Baixas), Leda (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León), Murua (DOCa Rioja), Pagos de Araiz (DO Navarra), and Valverán (Asturias).
