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The Txakoli (or Chacoli) Wines of Coastal Basque Country

The Txakoli (or Chacoli) Wines of Coastal Basque Country

Old Apr 22nd, 2017, 11:19 AM
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The Txakoli (or Chacoli) Wines of Coastal Basque Country

The words ‘Basque Country’ usually conjure up images of glamorous coastal cities, beautiful colorful platters of tapas and farm land (at least that's what people think of where I come from). The most visited places (by foreigners) in the Basque region of Spain are cities like San Sebastian, Bilbao and Pamplona (most renowned globally for its running of the bulls/San Fermin festival which Hemingway made so famous in English speaking countries thanks to his novels).
But there is so much more!
A few months ago, I spent four days in the coastal area of Basque Country that’s known for producing Tkakoli (or Chacoli it’s spelled both ways) wines.


Txakoli white wines are light bodied, high acid wines that are naturally effervescent and normally drunk before dinner, with tapas or with seafood. Txakoli white wines are made from the grape Hondarribi Zuri. There are Txakoli red wines, but they are far less common and make up a small % of the wines produced in the region. The red wines are made from the grape Hondarribi Beltza.

If you’ve never tried the Txakoli white wines of coastal Basque Country you’re not alone. Most people think of Rioja when considering wines produced in this region. It certainly has more widespread recognition (and production!). And, until late 1980's, Txakoli wines were primarily produced at home and not at all commercially or for export which is a big reason why fewer people are aware of them.

Nowadays Txakoli is produced with a high interest in exporting and most wineries I met with export a large % of the wines they make.

And, out in the small, beautiful coastal vineyards, where vines hang heavy with fruit that you can pick while gazing at (and listening to) the sea there is something magical.

Footpaths that make up portions of the famed Camino de Santiago wind through vineyards that wrap around and along cliffs over which you can see both green rolling hills dotted with sheep and calm blue waters.

You can hike from village to village on foot, coming around bend after bend with stunning views of the ocean or fishing ports full of white sail boats framed by a skyline of orange roofed buildings.
And the hotels, casas rurales and restaurants are, mostly, delightfully locally owned and run by warm and hospitable Basque people.

My visit included tours and tastings with three family owned and operated vineyards/wineries in Getaria and Zarautz and a stay at a gorgeous family owned and operated hotel set amidst the vineyards in Getaria.

Talai Berri- A beautiful vineyard located near the campgrounds in Zarautz , this winery is run by sisters who've recently taken over for their parents (and come back home from college and careers, etc). From the winery’s balcony you can see a hikers tramping along the portion of the Camino de Santiago that runs through their vineyard. Talai Berri’s two Txakolina white wines are stunning, with bright acidity and freshness. One, a bone dry version with a leaner body and the other with a bit more fruit forwardness and body (for export). Perfect paired with the sardines in oil or waxed peppers so commonly found put out for all occasions on Basque tables.

Here is the email for Onditz (the business sister): [email protected]

This isn't the type of winery you'll find on review sites-I literally just added it onto Tripadvisor because it didn't exist. It's so lovely, the wines are so good, and they are so happy to get visitors-they deserve the support! Please tell Onditz hello for me if you visit!

Gaintza (Vineyard/Winery): Joseba and his brother and father run the winery together these days, with both brothers having come back from university and other jobs to start transitioning into the management of the family business. Joseba runs the sales/export and business side while his brother and father manage the vineyards and make the wine. Their vineyards are situated very close to the town of Getaria, and in fact within walking distance of Hotel Prudentzio (the hotel I stayed at) if you fancy taking a walk through vineyards and along cobbled paths (maybe 10 minutes on foot) and I highly recommend the sunset views as well as their Rose of Hondarribi Beltza!

Joseba's Email: [email protected] Please tell him hello for me if you visit (my blog is A Different Kind of Travel)

Txomin Etxaniz: By far the biggest out of the three Txakoli vineyards I visited in the Zarautz-Getaria regions, Txomin Etxaniz is still very much a family run business. Run by Mikel Txueka and his brothers and sisters (who, except for the oldest all went off to University before coming back to work in the family business), Txomin Etxaniz holds 350 years of winemaking and family history (though when trying to verify how their grape growing history goes back this far I was met with not much information heh-no one was really in the wine 'business' in this are until super recently in history but grapes were grown by this family many generations before that).

These days they do employ a few non-family members to keep up with the demands of their increasing production (including making and bottling wine for smaller vineyard owners who don’t have their own facility) but you will still feel the sense that the winery isn’t just a business-it’s a place that has been built generation by generation

and, the views are STUNNING! I highly recommend their sparkling wine (more bubbly than just the usual slightly effervescent Tkakolina wines) and their Rose .They also make a dessert version which is something I didn't see anywhere else.

Mikel's email: [email protected] please say hello......etc etc

WHERE I STAYED:

Hotel San Prudentzio
The Hotel San Prudentzio is perched at the top of a hill, surrounded by vineyards and hiking trails just a few minutes drive (or 15 minute walk on foot through vineyards on cobbled paths) from the town of Getaria. Vineyards and the ocean are in view at all times.
The interior is cozy yet colorful and modern. There is always a fire going if it's cool weather. And one of the sisters (Ainhoa or Nerea) is always available if you need anything.

At sunrise and sunset, there is literally no place you'd rather be in Getaria.

I LOVED my stay here and meeting the sisters. I did a hike once a day and enjoyed stunning views around every bend and literally NO crowds (but I was there in December)

Here's their email: [email protected]

Coastal Basque Country is, so far, on my list of the top two best places I've visited (for my tastes/preferences) in Spain. I can't wait to explore more seaside towns, trails and vineyards there this summer
Brooke_Herron is offline  
Old Apr 22nd, 2017, 02:16 PM
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And don´t forget that there are three D.O. producing txakoli: Getariako Txakolina (the one you visited), Bizkaiko Txakolina (west of Getaria, in the province of Bizkaia) and Arabako Txakolina (in the southern Basque province of Araba, where they also produce the Rioja Alavesa wines). All txakolis similar...but different.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2017, 09:39 PM
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Hi Mikelg ha yes I do know the other DO's thank you! but it's quite technical to go into these details unless speaking to people that have a high high knowledge of the wine industry and the worlds wine regions and even beyond that the very little known wine regions and DO's within those regions in Spain

I try to stick to just enough information to be helpful and a little educational without making it so complicated that it loses people -

I have tasted some Txakolis from the other regions though! some are very nice!
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Old Apr 22nd, 2017, 09:57 PM
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Here's some other fine introductions to the txakoli wines, nothing goes better together with the famous pintxos of the Basque Country, the culinary heartland of Spain: http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/0...ards-wine.html
http://catavino.net/chacoli-the-wild-wine-of-spain/
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Old Apr 22nd, 2017, 09:59 PM
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Interesting. I take it this was your first exposure to Txakoli. A lot of us have been enjoying it for a number of years, including the wines from Talai Berri.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2017, 12:28 AM
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Gaintza and Elkano among my favorites in Getaria. Then Beldio in Araba and Virgen de Lorea in Bizkaia. A wine worth tasting and that, as Brooke says, has little in common to what my parents used to drink as txakoli (some small local producers still produce it the old manner, much more acidic)
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Old Apr 24th, 2017, 02:44 PM
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HI Robert2016

No I have had Txakoli for many years as I have been a wine industry professional for 15 years. But it's not a common wine to be drunk by an statistics anywhere, outside of Spain and the U.s (and in the U.S it is not the average consumer that knows what it is by any means)

U.K also now imports significantly (based on areas that import most/least. But this wasn't really a post about the business of importing/exporting wines or a post that was a lesson on DO's. Just some info on a lovely trip I took to Getaria region of Basque country and the vineyards I visited!
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Old Apr 24th, 2017, 02:46 PM
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It must be remembered that just because those of us who have been to Basque country and to these small little off the beaten path areas know some things-it doesn't mean the whole world does. Not even my friends who travel Spain regularly or who lived there for a year, or even my Spanish friends have visited Txakoli vineyards! It's something pretty specific. I go around the world focusing on lesser known white varietals and lesser visited white wine producing regions because that's my thing but I don't know many others that do We are a minority
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Old Apr 27th, 2017, 08:22 AM
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And I bet most Americans couldn't tell you where the Basque country is.
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Old Apr 27th, 2017, 11:31 AM
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Most Spanish restaurants (and all of the few Basque restaurants) in New York have Txacoli on their lists, but usually only a couple of choices at most, and usually only one BTG. But one place that I like does have three white txacoli and one rose by the bottle. (I was curious so just looked at the list) Basque ciders are more easily found, I think.




Interesting new book for wine aficionados; I'm reading it now. She talks a bit about the lesser known whites.

CORK DORK



https://www.amazon.com/Cork-Dork-Win.../dp/0143128094
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