Show Notes
Episode 120: WTF is Txakoli? 00:00
Hello! And welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime, Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair!
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Carmela, it’s time to do another one of our favorite episodes, and this, of course, our ”what the F is this wine” series where we learn about wines that we have never heard of or tried, and this week we are doing a wine that we are hoping we run into in our upcoming trip to Spain, and as we have been talking about for the last few weeks, we have been doing a series of episodes focused on wines from Northern Spain.
The wine this week is called Txakoli (Chack-oh-lee), although the way it looks and the way it is pronounced are a little different. It is spelled Txakoli but pronounced Chack-oh-lee.
Now, we are traveling to Barcelona, but while Txakoli, sometimes also known as Txakolina, is from northern Spain, it is not in the same region as Barcelona. Barcelona is in Catalonia, which is on the north east side of the country on the Mediterranean sea. Txakoli is on the other side of the country in the Basque region, which is on the Atlantic Ocean. So, while both are in northern Spain, they are very different regions.
The Basque region, like Catalonia, is an autonomous area that has been trying to break away from Spain for many years. In 1978 the Basque area was actually granted the status of a nationality within Spain. So this is a region with its own unique culture, language, and identity.
Now, I am not going to pretend to be an expert, but one of the things I love about these WTF series and part of why I love to learn about wine, is that we get to learn more about the world and different cultures. And I have some articles and links in our show notes if you want to learn more.
But he is a little bit of info. There are about 2 million people in the Basque region, and almost half of them live in or around the city of Bilboa. But there are other famous cities in the area like San Sebastian and Pamplona which is of course known for the running of the bulls. There is a broader Basque region that actually lies partially in France as well, but for our purposes, we are focusing on the area in Spain.
The weather, climate, and terrain in this area is very broad, from cooler Atlantic Ocean influenced areas to warm inland areas and mountainous areas including parts of the Pyrenees mountains.
The Basque region is famous for great food and wine. According to one source I read, they spend twice as much of their disposable income on food than people from the US. Those are our kind of people! And, the area has the second most Michelin starred restaurants per capita in the world! Foods it is famous for include lamb, cured meats, sheep and goat cheeses, piquillo peppers, anchovies and cod, and for wine, it is probably most famous for Rioja wine, which is a red wine that we did an episode on last week, and for the white wine we are drinking today called Txakoli.
I wish we had more time in Spain because we are really only going to have time on our trip to see just a touch of the Catalonia area, but the next trip we take to Spain we are definitely heading to the Basque region!
Anyway, we have to get back to the wine Txakoli that we are going to be tasting and trying today, and we have three Txakoli wines that we are going to review, and we are going to learn a bit more about what exactly these wines are . . .
But first . . . we have to do our shameless plug.
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And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should tell about The Wine Pair Podcast. This week, we want you to tell anyone who likes dry slightly fizzy wines like Vinho Verde because they may really like Txakoli, and they may really like Spain, and therefore, they may really like us!
ARTICLES and LINKS
Topic: WTF is Txakoli wine? 09:17
Well, Carmela, let’s learn a bit more about Txakoli wine, which is really a wine I had never heard of before a good friend of mine told me it was one of his favorite white wines, so thanks for the tip, Roland!
Txakoli, again sometimes called Txakolina or chacoli in Spanish, is a lightly sparkling dry white wine, in fact it is often called a “very dry” wine, that is low in alcohol usually topping out at about 12% but it can be as low as 9%. From that perspective, I expect this to be one of those wines tailor made for warm summer days and nights. Sometimes it is considered to be more of an appetizer wine, but I am curious to see what we think when we try it.
It is also a wine meant to be drunk young, in other words, do not age this wine. And, evidently until recently, this was often a homemade wine. In fact, this wine did not become a recognized DO area of Spain until 1989. DO is again the designation Spain uses to legally recognize a wine area and guarantee the kind of wine made in the area.
Traditional Txakoli was fermented in large oak barrels, but nowadays most of it is fermented in stainless steel so it creates a crisp, high acid wine. Often these wines are left on the lees which is again things like dead yeast, grape seeds and skins, and other gunk for several months and that helps to add some additional flavors and creaminess to the wine. In fact, sometimes the wine can be said to have an almost sherbet quality to it. Yes, the word is spelled sherbet.
I should also note that there are red and rosé txakoli wines, but the most common are white.
Like many European wines, the wine is named for the area in which it is grown and not for the grapes, and in this case, there are actually 3 DOs where Txakoli wine is produced. Again, that can be very confusing for American wine drinkers because we talk about wine in varietals most often, but the grapes used in Txakoli wines vary a little bit depending on the specific area the Txakoli is made.
The most commonly found grape is called Hondarrabi Zuri - and in the Basque language, Zuri means white. And in French this grape is known as Courbu Blanc. There may be other small amounts of grapes added, including sometimes Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling, but the vast majority of the wine is going to be Hondarrabi Zuri.
One of the regions where the wine is Txakoli made is called Txakoli Getaria, and it comes from a region called Gipuzkoa which is in the vicinity of the town Getaria, which is where the name comes from. This wine is usually just made from the Hondarribi Zuri grape, and is usually a very pale yellow or green color. This was the first region to get the DO designation, and they make the most Txakoli wine. By the way, all of our wines today are from this area.
Another region where the wine is made is called Txakoli Biscay and is from the Biscay area of Spain, and it received its DO designation in 1994. The wine made here is also mainly made from Hondarribi Zuri but there is another grape called Folle Blanche or Picpoule that may be blended into it in small amounts.
The third region where the wine is made is called Txakoli Alava and it was recognized as a DO in 2001, so pretty recently. This wine is said to be a bit frothy, maybe more like a soda-pop. Again, the main grape used is Hondarribi Zuri, but winemakers are allowed to add some other grapes like Izkiriota Ttipia, Folle Blanche, and a few others. Wines from this area are said to be a bit higher in alcohol and a little less acidic.
One of the articles I read noted that the area where Txakoli comes from is one of the coolest wine regions in Spain. That has an impact on the grapes and wine because getting the grapes ripe enough in a climate like that can be tough, so winemakers really try to expose the grapes to as much sun as possible. But, the result is that the wine is high in acid and low in alcohol. And the fizziness of the wine comes from the fermentation process that is done at lower temperatures - the grape juice is left covered, which keeps some of the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation to stay in the juice.
One interesting thing I kept reading about the wine is that it is often poured “from a height” so that the fizziness really comes through. I have never seen this done, but would love to see it!
These are also wines meant to be served pretty darn cold. Definitely fridge cold.
But I think that is enough background. Let’s learn about the specific wines we chose for the episode today so we can get to drinking, because I have a feeling we are going to like this wine!
ARTICLES and LINKS
Txakoli Wines We Chose for This Episode 17:02
As usual, all of the wines we have chosen for this episode are under $20, and all of them should be relatively easy to find because I bought them all on wine.com. I won’t say that Txakoli is the easiest wine to find, but if you find a wine shop that has a good Spanish wine selection or that specializes in Spanish wine, you should be able to find it.
The first wine we are going to try is called Basa Lore Txakoli Hondarrabi Zuri, and this wine is made from 100% Hondarrabi Zuri and comes from the Getaria area, and in fact this wine is made near the city of San Sebastian. By the way, all of the wines we are trying today are young, from the 2022 vintage, as they should be.
The wine is vegan, is marked as a natural wine, and is made via organic farming practices. They hand-harvest the wines and use traditional practices, and they have been making this wine at Bodegas Basa Lore since the 1930s. They also leave their wine on the lees for 10 months.
The next wine we are going to drink is called Inazio Urruzola Txakolina which also comes from the Getaria area, is a blend of 90% Hondarribi Zuri and 10% Petit Corvou. This wine is also made with sustainable farming practices and the grapes are hand harvested.
There was not a ton else I could find out about this wine, so we are going to move on to our last wine.
The last wine we are going to try is Hiruzta Txakoli, and, as all of the wines are, this is also from the Getaria area. This wine actually got 90 ratings from both Decanter and Wilfred Wong from wine.com. I have tech sheet for this wine, which we have a link to in our show notes. And I love it when we can find a tech sheet!
This wine is the highest in alcohol that we have at 12%, and is made from 100% Hondarrabi Zuri. They note that the grapes are harvested in small crates - so that seems important, but I don’t know why. Then the grapes are destemmed, crushed, rinsed, and soft pressed. They call out the technique of low temperature fermentation which helps to maintain the carbonation. This is a wine that is filtered.
They mentioned that they harvested the grapes for this 2022 vintage a little earlier than usual because the summer was dry and hot, but with some rain in August to help the grapes ripen, and they had lower acidity than normal.
But, you know what - that’s it. We are done book-learning about these wines, and now it’s time to drink-learn about these wines. I think I just made that term up - drink-learn. We’re going to take a super fast break, and feel free to drink along with us if you are so inclined!
ARTICLES and LINKS
Txakoli Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review 21:39
Wine: Basa Lore Txakoli Hondarrabi Zuri (Click here to learn more about this wine on wine.com. Affiliate link)
Region: Spain, Basque
Year: 2022
Price: $15.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 11.5%
Grapes: 100% Hondarrabi Zuri
What we tasted and smelled in this Basa Lore Txakoli Hondarrabi Zuri:
- On the nose: Fresh, apple, pear, citrus. peach, floral
- In the mouth: Apple, easy drinking, a touch sweet, some creaminess in the mouth, tasty, summer sipper
Food to pair with this Basa Lore Txakoli Hondarrabi Zuri: Cheese board, charcuterie board, focaccia, baked flaky white fish, spicy food, Thai food
As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, where 7 and above means that we would buy it, and 4 and below means that we are likely to pour it down the sink, and a 5 or 6 means we are likely to drink it and finish it, but we are probably not going to buy it.
Basa Lore Txakoli Hondarrabi Zuri Wine Rating:
Wine: Inazio Urruzola Txakolina (Click here to learn more about this wine on wine.com. Affiliate link)
Region: Spain, Basque
Year: 2022
Price: $16.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 10.5%
Grapes: 90% Hondarribi Zuri, 10% Petit Corvou
What we tasted and smelled in this Inazio Urruzola Txakolina:
- On the nose: Perfume, soap, apple, melon, peach, truffle, vanilla, creaminess
- In the mouth: Tart, lemon, grapefruit, tart lemonade, lemon juice out of a plastic lemon squeezer, a touch of apple
Food to pair with this Inazio Urruzola Txakolina: Baked flaky fish, fish and chips, fried mozzarella, fried chicken sandwich, fried calamari, spaghetti and clams, shrimp pasta, salty foods, french fries, potato chips
Inazio Urruzola Txakolina Wine Rating:
Wine: Hiruzta Txakoli (Click here to learn more about this wine on wine.com. Affiliate link)
Region: Spain, Basque
Year: 2022
Price: $17.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 12%
Grapes: 100% Hondarrabi Zuri
Professional Rating: WW 90, D 90
What we tasted and smelled in this Hiruzta Txakoli:
- On the nose: Apple, lemon, creaminess, vanilla ice cream, peach, flowers, melon
- In the mouth:Fizzy sting in the mouth, lemon, tart, creamy mouthfeel, vanilla, Cream Savers candy
Food to pair with this Hiruzta Txakoli: White pizza, carbs, cheese and nuts, charcuterie board, salty chips, focaccia with sea salt, good with spicy food
Hiruzta Txakoli Wine Rating:
Which one of these are you finishing tonight?
- Carmela: Basa Lore Txakoli Hondarrabi Zuri
- Joe: Hiruzta Txakoli
Taste profiles expected from Txakoli 39:00
- General
- Wine Paradigm: Aromas of citrus and white fruits, together with herbal notes, are followed by flavors of lemon, lime, apple, pear and sometimes pineapple, which combine with a mineral or saline edge leading to a pleasantly zesty finish.
- Basa Lore Txakoli Hondarrabi Zuri
- Winery: Fresh, light and very fruity Txakoli. It is reminiscent of the typical txakolis for their character of white fruits, green apple and pear.
- Depanneur Wines: Bright, zesty, just a hint of fizz, lemon zest, white florals, salinity, refreshing and clean
- Inazio Urruzola Txakolina
- Winery: Bright and clear pale yellow wine with green reflects with intense aromas of citrus and white flowers, ripe tropical fruit on the base gives complexity and character. Round and mineral mouth with a crispy balanced acidity with low alcohol
- Wine Access: Bright and refreshing with a luminous brightness in the glass. Aromas are led by a realm of citrus zest and sour peach along with a hint of herb and spice. The mouthfeel is electric with salty notes, lime and lemon peel and white flowers with an undeniable limestone rich texture and a long lasting finish with great acidity.
- Hiruzta Txakoli
- Winery: A clean and sparkling light yellow in color with greenish tones. Intense aromas of white (pear and apple), citrus (grapefruit) and tropical (pineapple and passion fruit) fruit aromas, also swathed with white flower (orange blossom) scents, all enhanced by the subtle release of the natural carbonic gas. It is very balanced and fresh, with a certain sense of spicy sparkle on the tongue and an integrated acidity. Pleasant on the palate, with a citrus and tropical aftertaste. Long and aromatic finish.
- WW: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of dried earth notes, chalkiness, and hints of stone fruits.
- D: A riper melon and peachy style with a lemon peel nose and a delicate spritz on the palate. Fresh and zesty with a long finish.
Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast 41:45
Ok, so, Carmela, it’s time for us to go, but before we do, we want to thank you very much for listening to us - and if you haven’t done so yet, now would be the perfect time to subscribe to our podcast and also a fantastic time to leave us a nice rating and review on our website or Apple podcasts or other podcast service - and it is an awesome and free way to support us and help us grow listeners.
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Alright, with that, we are going to sign off, so thanks again, and we will see you next time. And, as we say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.
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