This region is just across the border with Portugal. Ribeiro wines are not that well known and hardly available in the Netherlands. The D.O. Ribeiro has a long history in wine making. The vineyards in this district were first planted by the Romans. The area was known from the Middle Ages to the 18th century for its tostados, or sweet wines made from sun-dried grapes, often also known as Ribadavia wine. This wine was drunk by pilgrims who traveled through the area on their way to Santiago and the wine was also taken to the homeland by the same pilgrims. White Ribadavia wine in particular was very popular in England during the 17th and 18th centuries. The D.O. has returned to its origins and to the indigenous grape varieties that brought it its original fame, such as the white treixadura and red souson. The climate is less wet than in the rest of Galicia, 600-800 millimeters per year and that is half the other D.O.s. This is because the mountain ridges protect against Atlantic influences. The rain does not fall in the summer, but in the spring and autumn.