Galicia designated Martín Códax’s 18.6 million euro expansion a project of regional interest.

Galicia’s regional government on Monday designated the expansion of Bodegas Martín Códax in Cambados as a project of regional interest, backing a plan that the winery says will align its facilities with the production capacity of its grape growers and support further growth in one of Spain’s main white wine regions.

The project carries an investment of about 18.6 million euros and will cover more than 47,000 square meters at the cooperative’s site in Pontevedra province, according to information released after the meeting of the Xunta’s cabinet. Regional officials said the work is expected to create around 20 new jobs and increase the winery’s operating capacity.

The expansion is centered on the industrial side of the business. Plans call for more storage space in the logistics area, a larger capacity to supply bulk wine, and more room for winemaking during the harvest season. That includes adding tanks and improving facilities used to receive and press grapes, two areas that are under the greatest strain during the annual intake of fruit from growers.

Officials said the work is intended to adapt the winery’s infrastructure to the volume handled by its members and partner growers. Martín Códax is a cooperative and one of the most recognized names in the Rías Baixas denomination of origin, known above all for Albariño wines. The regional government said the larger site should allow the company to process more fruit and expand output while improving conditions for the producers linked to the business.

The plan also includes a commercial and visitor-facing side. The winery wants to enlarge its wine tourism area and is considering adding a restaurant as part of that offer. The project also provides for more office space and additional common areas for employees.

The regional government presented the expansion as an economic development measure for the Salnés valley, where the winery has deep ties to local grape production. Martín Códax is made up of 332 winegrowers who cultivate about 325 hectares, according to the figures provided by the Xunta. In addition to its members, the winery buys grapes from about 135 other growers and collaborators.

Its current installed production capacity is more than 83,400 hectoliters, a figure that is expected to rise once the expansion is completed. The company’s vineyard activity extends across the municipalities of the Val do Salnés subzone within the Rías Baixas denomination of origin. In recent years, it has also operated in other Galician wine regions, including Monterrei and Ribeiro, and in Bierzo outside Galicia.

By giving the project regional-interest status, the Xunta is signaling that it sees the investment as significant for the local economy and the agri-food sector. In Galicia, that classification is used for projects considered important because of their economic, social, or territorial impact. Regional officials said the Martín Códax plan fits that standard because of the size of the investment, the expected increase in employment, and the role the cooperative plays in supporting grape growers.

The regional government said the increase in production capacity should have effects beyond the winery itself. A larger processing and storage base is expected to support more grape purchases and more work tied to harvest logistics, winemaking, bottling, and related services. Officials said that would also benefit the growers integrated into the cooperative and those who supply grapes under other arrangements.

The approval comes at a time when many wineries in Spain are balancing agricultural production needs with a broader push into hospitality and tourism. In Martín Códax’s case, the project combines both aims: more industrial capacity to handle grape supply and more visitor infrastructure to increase revenue from wine tourism. The possible restaurant included in the plan reflects that second track, though officials described it as a potential service rather than a confirmed final component.

Cambados, where the winery is based, is one of the best-known towns in Rías Baixas and has long been tied to the Albariño trade. Martín Códax has been one of the central cooperative structures in that system, linking vineyard owners with a large-scale commercial winery. The expansion approved Monday is designed to strengthen that model by giving the company more room to store, process, and market wine as production grows.