Surrounding the city of Bilboa, in the utter north part of Spain, we find the region of País Vasco or Spanish Basque Country. An autonomy mountain region at the Gulf of Biskaje with its own culture, language, cuisine, and unique grape varieties. The most well-known style is the Txakoli, made of the white Hondarribi Zuri that is very similar to the Portuguese Vinho Verde, with its high acidity and slight sparkling. A perfect wine to go with the local seafood dishes.
The mountain region consists of a lot of rocks, with a sandy-clay layer, and will ensure an elegant level of minerality in the wines. The influence of the Atlantic Ocean will give a touch of sea salt and a refreshing level of acidity. Winds coming from the Atlantic dry the vines after heavy rainfalls that can occur in the region. The maritime climate, along with protection of the mountains makes that area knows mild temperatures. During wintertime it rarely goes below 10 degrees Celsius and during summer it rarely goes above 30.
As stated before, most wines get produced with the white Hondarrabi Zuri. This local grape variety has crisp notes of citrus like lemon and grapefruit, with a touch of white flowers and green garden herbs. The grape is known to be very aromatic. The grape is supported by the Gros and Petit Manseng, two aromatic and concentrated white varieties coming from the South-West of France. Also, the Folle Balance finds its way from this French region to País Vasco and will add acidity to the blend.
The only red variety that is allowed in the region is the Hondarrabi Beltza, also a native to Basque Country with intense fruity, saltiness, minerality and acidity. It is used for the production of the rare red Txakoli, but also for rosé or Blanc de Noirs.
Funny thing to know is that the Beltza and the white Zuri are not related, despite both having ‘Hondarrabi’ in their name. It refers to the Spanish town of Hondarribia, right next to French border. Zuri is the Basque word for white, while Beltza means black.
País Vasco gets divided into 3 different sub-regions: Chacolí de Geteria, Chacolí de Bizkaia, and Arabako Txakolina, with Bilbao as its centre point.
Geteria lies in the most eastern part of the region and brings the DO appellation of Chacolí de Geteria. The grapes of Hondarribi Zuri and Hondarribi Beltza produces white, red, and rose.
DO Arabako Txakolina in the like-named sub-region in the south has Hondarrabi Zuri with Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng, and the French Petit Corbu. Hondarrabi Beltza produces white, red, and rosé.
The greater region of Bizkaia, with Bilboa at its centre, has DO Chacolí de Bizkaia to the east with Hondarribi Zuri, Petit and Gros Manseng, Petit Corbu, and Folle Blanche for the white. Hondarribi Beltza for white red and rosé.
Further west of Bilboa, in the direction of Santander lies the fourth and youngest DO of Chacolí de Álava, with the town of Ammurrio to its core. Only whites are produced here and there is a big focus on export to the international market.
Seeing the focus of Basque Country lies on crisp white wines, along with the presence of the Atlantic Ocean, it is no surprise that the best food matching is seafood. Try the local pintxos with seafood or a casserole with tuna. Also, codfish with hot pepper sauce is highly recommended!
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