A couple of summers ago, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law rented a house in San Sebastián for a month. It was a HUGE bummer that we couldn’t swing getting away at the time to join them for a bit. I mean who doesn’t want to go lounge on a beach in a gorgeous Spanish resort town that’s famed for having a galaxy of Michellin Stars?! So jealous! I’m hoping we’ll be able to rectify the error in the future. It was all the more disappointing since I also love the wines from the Basque Country and would’ve loved to explore the area. *Sigh.* Someday.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

In the meantime, I can bring the dream home in the form of bottles of Txakolina, which I do fairly on the regular during the warm weather months. They’re among my favorite summertime wines.  Txakolina, aka Txakoli (pronounced "Chock-o-lee,” and also spelled Chacoli, Txacoli or Chakoli), is the wine of the Basque Country. The wines don’t tend to be super complex, but it’s light, often sprtizy, refreshing, and all-around delightful. They also tend to be low in alcohol – between 9.5% and 11.5% –  making it perfect to enjoy on chill summer days without worries of getting too zonked out, often an unfortunate side-effect of day drinking. 

The Basque Country, or el País Vasco, is located in northeastern Spain, near the border with France. The region is on the Atlantic’s Bay of Biscay near the Pyrenees Mountains, with the Cantabrian Mountains to the west. The area isn’t really known for its wines, but as I said, they’re lovely and so easy to drink. The are three DOs: Arabako Txakolina, Bizkaiko Txakolina, and Getariako Txakolina. (It’s worth mentioning that Rioja’s Alavesa subregion is also in Basque Country, but that’s a different discussion.) All three DOs are quite small – among the smallest in Spain.

Map courtesy of WineFolly.com

Map courtesy of  Cellartours.com.

The area has a mild maritime climate. The Atlantic Ocean brings rain and has a cooling effect, but the majority of the vineyards are located on the southeast-facing slopes of the foothills of the Pyrenees. The hills shield the vines from some of the weather, creating milder micro-climates.

Image courtesy of Getariakotxakolina.eus

The Basque are known for being fiercely independent and keeping with that reputation, they’ve stuck with the region’s indigenous grapes. Their principal white grape Hondarrabi Zuri accounts for 95% of plantings, and red Hondarrabi Beltza is also planted, mostly for use in rosé wines. Despite having similar names, the grapes aren’t related in any way. The grapes are named for the nearby town of Hondarribia, and zuri and beltza mean “white” and “black” respectively. Hondarrabi Zuri Zerratia, Izkiriota / Gros Manseng, Izkiriota Ttippia /Petit Manseng, Riesling, and Chardonnay are all also permitted but are planted in small quantities.

As is the case with many old varieties, the origins of Hondarabbi Zuri are still a matter of debate, and it might actually be the case that the name is used for three completely different grapes in the region: Courbu Blanc, Crouchen, and Noah. However, Hondarabbi Zuri makes such a lighthearted wine that seems a little silly to get too far into the technicalities. (As prone as I might be to doing so!) Just like with the word Txakoli, you'll also find a million and one different spellings for the grape's name – just go with it. 

Getariako Txakolina’s wines are meant to be drunk young and tend to be full of citrus flavors, hints of herbs, and lots of minerality. When you add in the hint of spritz you’ll find in the wines, you’re sure to find yourself picturing a day at the beach. The majority is clearly enjoyed in exactly this way since most of it never leaves the Basque region. It’s drunk in large quantities at pintxo bars where it’s often poured out of a porrón, a traditional glass pitcher that helps to enhance the fizz. It’s been gaining in popularity in the US since the early 2000s, and I am certainly happy to emulate the Basque in this respect. 

  

Me pouring Takolina Rosé out of a porrón.

THE WINE & PAIRING

Ulacia is located in the fishing town of Getaria. The winery has been family-owned for three generations and is currently run by Julian and Maia Ulacia. The estate is small – only 6 hectares, producing 6,000 cases of wine per year – and they pay a lot of attention to quality. In 2009 they built a new winery in order to incorporate new technology so as “to create a txakoli with unique characteristics that evokes the green meadows of Getaria from where the grapes are obtained,” per the website.

This wine is simply fun and refreshing. On the nose, there were aromas of lime skin, grapefruit, fresh white flowers, and stones. The palate was similar but with notes of green pear, white peach, and key lime joining in. It’s fairly light in body with zingy acidity and a spritzy lift.

This is a wine I’ve had many times before, so I had lots of ideas of what to pair it with. It will love anything seafood. I’d been planning to make ceviche since that and a big helping of tortilla chips seemed like an ideal match, but we ended up having that just a few days before at some friends’ house. I ultimately decide to take inspiration from Bacalao al Pil Pil, a Basque dish involving salt cod cooked in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and chili, with straightforward fish and chips. I don’t love salt cod to begin with and frying cod filets is much, much quicker. While Pil Pil sauce is creamy and with a depth of flavor, I used similar flavors to infuse olive oil for a speedy topper. I swapped in jalapeños for the chilis, but feel free to use the pepper of your choice. I served the fish on simply roasted potato slices with a simple green salad. This dish definitely doesn’t have the complexity of Pil Pil, it’s simple, fairly quick, crispy, and has a punch of flavor. 

It was also delicious with the wine! It was the type of combo that had us want to follow up each bite with a big swig of the wine. Super yummy!

OTHER POSSIBILITIES 

Fish or shrimp tacos, poké bowls, fried seafood – really anything fried – green olives, and light tapas would all make great pairings. I’ve shared a recipe for Parsley-Tomato Shrimp with Lemon Pepper Orzo on Nibbling Gypsy, which paired beautifully with another favorite Txakolina by Ameztoi. You’ll also find an example of a rosé version in this post.

For me, Txakolina exists in a very similar flavor camp to Vinho Verde, and to a slightly lesser degree Rías Baixas, so can you pretty much swap around the pairings.

THE GEEKY DETAILS

Taken from the 2020 tech sheet and the producer’s website.

A blend of 95% Hondarrabi Zuri and 5% Hondarrabi Beltza rooted in granite bedrock with a clay topsoil. Grapes are hand-harvested in late September or early October; direct pressing into steel tanks for fermentation and three-month elevage. Bottled with residual carbonic zing from the tanks.

Their vines range anywhere from 5 to 60 years old. The grapes are trained on trellises and arbors with south-facing exposition. 

MONEY TALK 

The average price of this wine is $20. I’m blanking out on where I picked it up, but that is about what I typically see it going for. It’s a Solid Value and I’ll continue to happily grab more bottles in the future!

 

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The rest of the World Wine Travel (#WorldWineTravel) Blogging group is exploring the Basque region of Spain hosted by Jill Barth of L'Occasion. Check out their posts for more great pairings!

• Basque Country Means Pintxos and Txakolina by Jeff at Food Wine Click
• Fish Friday in the USA with a Spanish Txakolina Rosé by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Two Versions of Txakoli, Perfect Summer Wines from Susannah at Avvinare
• Pintxos and Txakoli - a celebration of Basque Country from Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Almejas en Salsa Verde (Clams in Green Sauce) + 2019 Zudugarai "Amats" Getariako Txakolina from Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Basque Country Wines for Beginners and Great Food Pairings from Teri at Our Good Life
• Recalling Spain: Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina Rubentis and Shrimp from Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• Tasty Txakolina from Basque Country calls for fish by Linda at My Full Wine Glass
• Basque’s Effervescent Txakolina from Gwendolyn at Wine Predator
• The History of the Basque Culinary World Prize by Jill on L’Occasion

Additional sources used for this post and extra reading:

When people come into the wine store I work at around this time of year, more often than not they’re looking for something crisp, white, and refreshing. Maybe they don’t know what they’re in the mood for beyond that. Maybe it’s a group divided between Sauvignon Blanc drinkers and Chardonnay drinkers, not knowing how to split the difference. Maybe they’re not quite sure what they’ll be eating with it, but they know they want a white wine. Chances are that if you come ask me for a recommendation, I’ll offer up a bottle of Albariño as an option.

It happens to be among my personal favorite summertime grapes. Albariño also fits so many different scenarios. It’s sooooooo refreshing on its own as a “porch sipper,” but most versions also work well with a wide variety of foods. It’s naturally high in acidity, which is typically balanced by a plump peachiness, complemented by lots of saline minerality. Thanks to that bit of body up front that’s backed up by a minerally finish, I find that Albariños tend to please a lot of different palates. It will also entice your nose to the glass, as it’s pretty aromatic with lots of stone fruit notes, citrus, honeysuckle, and stones. You can bet this grape is the perfect complement to seafood, but really with so much more as well.

The grape hails from the northwestern Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula and is a key player in the wines of Rías Baixas in Spain and Vinho Verde in Portugal. It’s unclear in which of these two areas it originated, but they’re in the same neighborhood. Albariño’s Spanish home of Rías Baixas is very different from most of the rest of the country. Right on the Atlantic coast, it’s much cooler, wetter, foggier, and much greener than most of the rest of the county. Luckily, Albariño, the region’s signature grape (it must make up 70% of the blend) does well here thanks to its thick skin, which helps it stand up to all the humidity. The cooling ocean influences also help the grapes retain the crisp, mouth-watering acidity that’s emblematic of the regional style.

Map of Rías Baixas and its sub-zones courtesy of Rías Baixas Wines.

   
The region and the grape are probably best known for making crisp, refreshing light wines, but they can definitely be made in fuller styles as well. It can be matured in oak and is increasingly aged for several years in stainless steel tanks before release. Lees aging can also add texture and richness. It can age when given the chance, but it’s just so tasty when young that it’s hard to make a convincing argument for waiting.

Galicia is steeped in history. Winemaking in the region dates back about 2,000 years, but it’s better known as the final stop on the Camino de Santiago. The 500-mile Christian pilgrimage ends at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of St. James are buried. The area has only become known for wine in more recent years as it received its Denomination of Origin status in 1988 following Spain’s entrance into the European Union.

If there is one downside to this grape it’s that the secret is out on Albariño. Rías Baixas has become increasingly popular in its short time span as a D.O. Sadly for the consumer, this has also caused prices to rise. Not to worry though! There are still plenty of delicious and wallet-friendly versions to be found! Additionally, its popularity has given rise to interest in the grape in many New World regions as well.

THE PAIRING

I happily received a couple of samples of Albariño from Rías Baixas in time for the celebration of International Albariño Days, August 1-5, 2018 from Gregory White PR and Rías Baixas Wines. Thanks guys! (Please note that while samples were received for participation in the event, all opinions are my own and no other compensation was received.)


I decided to open a bottle of Adegas Gran Vinum Nessa Albariño Rías Baixas 2016 one evening right smack in the middle of Albariño days. The Piñeiro Cores family are the makers of this wine. They’ve been involved in making wines for many generations, however, getting their vineyards in top shape to make their wines took some time. They first brought together fragmented vineyard plots, then they slowly went about replacing the hybrid varieties originally on the land with Albariño. They finally launched Adegas Gran Vinum in 2002.


Their holdings include 8 acres of vineyards, which they supplement with grapes from other local growers with whom they have close relationships. The vineyards are fertilized with clam and cockle shells and are carefully tended. To keep the vines from getting too soggy in the region’s extremely wet conditions, the Galician tradition is to use long stone posts to elevate the vines off the ground–which has the added benefit of looking quite pretty!

The wine has a really pleasant tang. Greg and I picked up the characteristic peachiness on nose, along with a bit of brine, white flowers, and a faint touch of earthiness in the vein of fresh hay. The fruit on the palate became a little more tropical with crisp pineapple, tangerine white peach and a squirt of lemon. There were also some savory herbs in the mix–nori that blended in with the sea breezy briny quality. The wine had bright, high acidity, and the wine’s body was on the lighter end of medium. 

  
I had a hankering for fish and chips, and I thought this wine would be delicious with fried seafood. What resulted was a spin with light Spanish and Japanese touches. Cod fillets were battered in tempura spiked with smoked paprika. Rather than fries, I decided to roast baby potatoes in varied colors that also got a touch of paprika. These all went on a simple salad with quick pickled red onions that brought in a perky kick. 


To tease out that faint nori note, I sprinkled on some furikake – a Japanese seasoning that includes seaweed flakes and sesame seeds. Some friends introduced me to furikake a few years ago and it has been a staple in our pantry ever since. Variations can include a breadth of additional flavorings like yuzu or bonito. If I hadn’t had the furikake on hand, I would have brought in some capers for their briny/floral notes. 

Furikake is great on seafood, rice, and on eggs in the morning.

Not strictly speaking a part of the recipe, but we also ended up trying this Little Red Corvette red pepper and black garlic goat cheese spread from Cypress Grove, and it made a really nice, creamy addition.  

Samples work! I got a taste of this at my local Whole Foods and I couldn't resist buying one. It made a tasty add-on.

THE GEEKY DETAILS

From the tech sheet:

Albarino wine Nessa is produced with selected Albarino grapes from our growers who use our traditional growth techniques and the vineyards are older than 25 years old. After a manual harvest, the grapes are specially selected and a soft pressing takes place before filtering them for 24 to 36 hours and followed by fermentation at 46ºF.

Harvest:    Manual

Details:    12.5%, 3.44 pH, 6.60 g/L acid

Optimal consumption: 3-4 years

Recommended temperature: 51°-53°F/11°-12°C




MONEY TALK

At a SRP of $17, this makes a great House Wine. Find on here wine-searcher.com .



OTHER POSSIBILITIES

I made more cod tempura than we needed for one dinner for the two of us. The next day I used the leftover fish on a second salad for lunch. I re-crisped up the fish in the toaster oven. This time I added avocado, crispy onions, and salsa verde, which all also worked quite well.  The Vionta Albariño Rías Baixas 2016 (also a sample, SRP $16, or find on wine-sercher.com) tended more to the minerally end of the spectrum. It was citrus driven, crisp and refreshing with some added leesy texture.



For other wine options, I’d recommend Vinho Verde from Portugal or Txakolina from Spain’s Basque region for alternatives with similar attributes. Muscadet and Chablis would also bring notes of briny minerality and crisp acidity. 



 
Here are some other Albariños I’ve liked recently:


For more pairing ideas of Rías Baixas, click here, or check out these other recipes I’ve created that match with Albariño:

8 & 20: Smoky Paprika Shrimp With Saffron-Lemon Pilaf – One of my favorite 8 & 20’s that I’ve made!
8 & 20: Saffron-Tomato Chicken Croquetas
8 & 20: Roasted Stuffed Fish with Sautéed Spinach