We continue our articles on different Spanish wine regions. If the last region we covered was Priorat, near Barcelona, on this occasion we go north, near the French border, to discover the txacoli wines.
We cam only think about a few examples where the landscape defines the character and personality of the wine in such a way as Txacolí wines. Even though there are red and rosé wines coming out of this region, in this article we will dedicate ourselves to the white wines from Txacolí.
Before talking about these wines it is well deserved to pause and revisit the consumption habits in the Basque Country, the birthplace of Txacolí. It is here (and roughly the rest of Northern Spain) where we find the highest wine consumption in the country. The traditional habit of going out for drinks and food is locally known as chateo, an expression that refers to the chatos (“flat” in English), the type of short glasses where they serve the wine, accompanied by some pintxos (as the Basques refer to their tapas).
Wine from Rioja was and still is the predominant type of wine in bars and restaurants in the Basque Country. The Txacolí is understood as a very fresh white wine, with a peculiar high acidity, low alcoholic graduation, and in some cases, somewhat aromatic.
What is the grape varietal used to make Txacolí? It is the Hondarribi-zuri, which gets its name from the village of Hondarribi, or Fuenterrabía, located East of San Sebastian, right at the border with France and with a large and rich history behind it. Txacoli is one most searched for San Sebastian winery tours.
This type of grape is perfectly adapted to the humid conditions and the moderate temperatures of the production zones in the region. Vineyards are planted on the terrain below 1.300 feet above sea level.