Minho (river)

Minho or Miño is the longest river in Galicia, Spain, with a length of 340km.The Minho waters vineyards and farmland, is used to produce hydroelectric power, and also delineates a section of the Spanish–Portuguese border. In ancient English maps, it appears as Minno.The source of the Minho lies about 50km north of Lugo in Galicia, in a place called Pedregal of Irimia. The river passes just south of the walls of this old Roman city and flows south through canyons until the valley widens north of Ourense. The river has been harnessed in reservoirs from Portomarín to Frieira. Along its length, it has the following reservoirs: Belesar with 654hm3, Peares with 182hm3, Velle with 17hm3, Castrelo with 60hm3 and Frieira with 44hm3.About 20km north of Ourense at Os Peares, the Minho receives the waters of its main tributary, the Sil. Passing Ourense, there is one major dam at Frieira near the town of Ribadavia, which is famous for its Ribeiro wine (called after the name of the region). Later on, the river flows in a southwest direction until reaching the Portuguese border near Melgaço.After 260km through Galicia, the Minho sets the border to Portugal for about other 80km, mainly towards the west. The valley is a lush, green agricultural area where the land is used to produce corn, potatoes, cabbage, even kiwi fruit, or just grass, depending on the time of year, and everywhere edging the fields, rivers and gardens, wherever there is space, the vines which produce the light, slightly sparkling “Vinho Verde” and the Ribeiro wine, both peculiar to this area. The very best of these wines, Alvarinho in Portuguese or Albariño in Spanish and Galician, is produced in the area around Monção, Arbo and Melgaço.