Txakoli

I’m just back from a trip to Spain, during which I spent a few days in the beautiful seaside city of San Sebastián and the grittier but equally impressive Bilbao. Most of the time was spent wandering from bar to bar enjoying pintxos, bite-sized tapas on display on the counters which are an easy, light, but delicious way to eat your way through the day. It’s of course essential to enjoy them with wine: for the reds, there’s plenty of Rioja to choose from (usually Crianza), while for whites there’s the local Txakoli.

Txakoli (pronounced chakolee) is a highly acidic white wine from coastal Basque country that’s become quite fashionable, albeit on a small scale, in the past few years. It’s an historic style of wine, with some of the producers dating back to the nineteenth century. Commercially, however, it’s quite new, the first DO—Getariako Txakolina—formed as recently as 1999. Until then, the wine had been made mainly for family consumption (txakolina means “enough for home”) but a handful of ambitious producers have taken it to the outside world. Now there are three DOs spread along the Basque coast, supplying the local market with tasty wines designed to be enjoyed with pintxos in the many bars of San Sebastián, Bilbao, and the other small seaside towns that lie in between.

where

Basque country, with its own language and fiercely independent culture, is a uniquely individual area encompassing Atlantic Spain and France. The wet weather makes it green and beautiful, the coast rising up to mountains beyond which lies continental Spain. The heartland of Txakoli is between San Sebastián to the west and Bilbao to the east, centred on the small, picturesque village of Getaria. The vineyards are on slopes right on the coast, and the cool, wet conditions mean that grape growing is difficult, which is why Txakoli has not always been commercially viable. These conditions also mean that the wines are extremely high in acidity and low in alcohol, at around 11%. There’s also a touch of spritz to the wines, which can come from naturally retained carbon dioxide from the fermentation or added carbonation and which is exaggerated in local bars by pouring the wine from high up. The wines are intended to be drunk young, within a year of the vintage, and they reflect the local landscape: green, fresh, and bright.

producer

pergola trained vines allow air circulation in the wet climate

While in Spain, I visited a producer whose history goes back five generations to 1860 but who only started selling wine with the establishment of the Getariako Txakolina DO in 1999. Ameztoi, the family name, are an ambitious producer, as the range of wine attests—they also have a new tasting room and an on-site hotel opening in January. But they’re also one firmly committed to Txakoli’s heritage, their vineyards all spectacularly overlooking the Atlantic. They own 45ha of vineyards, some of which date back over 150 years; 80% of the plantings are of white grapes, reflecting the dominant style of the region. The white grape is Hondarrabi Zuri, which naturally retains its acidity in the cool climate, while the black grape is Hondarrabi Beltza, another high acid grape. Traditionally, Ameztoi used to press the black grapes with the whites as a field blend, but fifteen years ago they made their first rosé, neatly fitting in with recent trends for dry, fresh, summer-friendly rosés.

winemaking

In 2019, harvest began on 24 September and lasted three and a half weeks. The hilly vineyards require manual labour, and Ameztoi hired 90 people for the harvest—because of high unemployment, there are many locals available for work. Fermentation took 20 days at temperatures of 18-19˚C and after fermentation the wines are stored in stainless steel tanks at just 5-7˚C to preserve the wines’ freshness and carbon dioxide. Bottling takes place very soon after fermentation—the 2019s were almost ready to bottle—and continues once a month according to the orders coming in. For this reason, Ameztoi, like other Txakoli producers, have to have their own bottling facilities.

wines

“9.6” 2018

This is a new wine from Ameztoi, designed to take advantage of the trend for lower alcohol wines (the name 9.6 refers to the level of alcohol, although it’s legally labelled as 10%). It comes from the first grapes to be picked and is high in acidity with lots of spritz and grapefruit aromas. It’s a simple, straightforward wine which will be very refreshing in the summer. ✪✪✪

Txakoli 2018

The most characteristic of Ameztoi’s wines and a great introduction to Txakoli. Alcohol is just 11%, and the wine is light, fresh, zesty, and very moreish. As well as tasting it at the winery, we enjoyed this with pintxos in a San Sebastián bar—although these wines are refreshing and very drinkable on their own, they gain a lot of character when drunk with food. ✪✪✪✪

“Primus” 2018

There’s extra texture and weight to this wine, as it’s aged for just a few months on its lees. It has all the characteristics of the regular Txakoli, but the lees give the wine more depth and length while retaining acidity and elegance. This is a very fine, quietly sophisticated wine. ✪✪✪✪✪

“Kirkilla” 2017

Another example of the experimentation going on at Ameztoi, this wine is aged in oak which is very unsual for Txakoli. The high acidity and delicate texture of the wines make oak ageing difficult, and Ameztoi are still perfecting the process, experimenting with new and old oak. Aged for 12 months, the 2017 saw the use of new oak cut back, with about a third of it new. This gives the wine a more golden colour and creaminess on the palate, although I am not convinced the oak really adds enough to justify its use—the lees ageing seems more successful. ✪✪✪✪

“Rubentis” Rosé 2018

The rosé is matured overnight for 12 hours before pressing, enough to add colour, body, and red fruit aromas. Like the white, there’s vibrant acidity and spritz to make the wine particularly refreshing, while there’s an engaging, fun fruitiness. A perfect summer wine, this will also pair well with any fish or seafood. ✪✪✪✪✪

“Stimatum” 2018

Another unusual wine for the region, Ameztoi’s red is especially tasty. Light-bodied with carbonic aromatics, this is an alternative to Beaujolais or the Loire. It’s similar in style to the white, with a slight spritz, lively acidity, low alcohol, and an overall refreshing mouthfeel with a lightly grainy texture. Like all the wines, it’s ideal for the warm summer months and should be served slightly chilled. ✪✪✪✪✪

Although we didn’t taste them at the winery, Ameztoi also make sparkling wine—the rosé, which is based on the Rubentis, is extremely good and well worth seeking out ✪✪✪✪✪. The naturally high acidity of the wines is ideal for sparkling wine, so it’s no surprise that they’re successful.

Txakoli may still be a niche internationally and it’s an unusual style with its extremely high acidity, low alcohol, and spritz. However, quality is clearly rising and they are naturally very food friendly which fits in with global trends for food and wine pairings. No visit to Basque country is complete without a visit to a bar to enjoy some pintxos with Txakoli—but these are wines that deserve to be drunk wherever you are.