Basque Country Wine Regions Guide

Winemaking and regional classifications

Basque wines are a product of the local climate, and terroir – opulent reds and powerfully structured whites are not its USPs. Instead, you’ll find an ever-growing volume of fresh, elegant, light white wines and a small amount of red. Excluding the wines of Rioja Alavesa (covered elsewhere), the cool climate of northern Spain is conducive to moderate alcohol, ripeness, and bracing acidity. All qualities that make Txakoli wines so utterly suited to the role of aperitif; they also accompany the wonderful bar snacks known as pintxos (Basque tapas served on bread and impaled with a toothpick). Together, they amount to gastronomic heaven.

The backbone of Basque whites has long been the Hondarrabi Zuri grape, increasingly blended with Hondarrabi Zuri Zerratia (Petit Courbu), Mune Mahatsa (Folle Blanche), and Izkiriotas (Petit and Gros Manseng). Winemakers feel these aromatic grapes can add perfume and structure to the final product, although others steadfastly refuse to deviate from 100% Hondarrabi Zuri wines. Moreover, the variety is well suited to the damp climate of Euskadi, yielding a reasonably plentiful crop of aromatic berries that produces a low-alcohol and zippy style of white.

In terms of winemaking, much has changed over the past 20 years; indeed, the rustic methods of the 20th century have been put out to pasture, replaced with careful handling of the juice, cool fermentation in stainless steel, and bottling at a very young age. As a result, many Txakoli wines are bottled on their lees, imbuing them with a gentle effervescence that wine lovers generally find very refreshing. Leading winery Ametzoi, for example, also tends to chill the wines to 32 degrees Fahrenheit before bottling— this helps to retain that noticeable ‘spritz’ in the wine. Occasionally, producers will subject their best cuvées to maturation in wood, although we prefer the unadulterated purity of unoaked Txakoli. Still, certain sommeliers and consumers love this fuller expression of the local terroir.

However, clean-cut whites with bracing acidity aren’t the only specialty of the Basque Country. Due to market demands, an increasing amount of red and rosé is made to the delight of critics everywhere. Red Txakoli can be absolutely delicious: a light-bodied and refreshing bright fruit concoction with peppery aromas and a touch of eucalyptus on the finish. As you’d expect, high alcohol and over-extraction are seldom a problem in the windswept vineyards of northern Spain.

Geography and terroir

Green hills meet Atlantic beaches in the Basque country: a tourist paradise producing a surprising volume of appetizing wine. The scenery in northern Spain is utterly gorgeous, a mosaic of rocky coves, steep cliffs, and broad bays of fine yellow sand interspersed with cute fishing villages. The interior, meanwhile, is very undulating, characterized by valleys, gorges, and wooded hills. Vineyards are planted throughout this diverse region along the coast and further inland.

Only certain varieties, however, can thrive in the maritime climate of the Basque Country, with generous rainfall, (relatively) mild summer temperatures, and frequent downpours during the fall. The three key Txakoli appellations – Txakoli Getaria, Bizkaia, and Arabako Txakolina – encompass various soils and mesoclimates, ranging from clay-limestone to sandy loam. The higher-altitude climats of the interior tend to be cooler than some of the coastal sites; the best terroirs enjoy a sheltered location with a southeastern aspect. This helps the berries to attain a reasonable level of sugar and flavor ripeness – reasonable in the context of the climate, that is!

Meanwhile, Rioja Alavesa’s vineyards are among the most highly exalted in the entire appellation. It is the most Atlantic of all the three subregions, albeit the majestic Sierra de Cantabria shelters the vines. The vineyards can rise to over 750 meters in the Alava province, hence the zone’s reputation for producing wines with good acidity and balanced alcohol. In Alava, over three-quarters of the land is planted to vines; this hilly landscape is defined by many small parcels owned by bodegas and growers on terraces eroded by the river over the centuries. Calcareous soils dominate here, perfectly balancing moisture retention and good drainage.

The lowdown

After being ignored and marginalized for decades, the Basque Country is in full ferment. The burgeoning market in culinary tourism has done much to revitalize the region’s Txakoli industry – new players, revitalized historic wineries, better vineyard management, and soaring quality across the board now defines this niche – and quality-focused – industry. All very different, of course, from the situation in the 20th century, when Txakoli was tart dross: fiercely acidic and quite unpalatable to many consumers. As the critic and journalist Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW observed: “The 1970 Spanish Wine Law defined Txakoli as wine made with grapes ‘that cannot normally reach full ripeness’ because of climate constraints. This was a protective measure to ensure the regular production of Txakoli; otherwise, it could not be legally classified as wine, since the bottles often did not reach the minimum legal level of alcohol.”

It must be said, however, that climate change is partially responsible for this shift of fortune: ripeness is now far easier to achieve, and acid levels are far more manageable compared to 30 years ago. But growers have also learned the value of intelligent site selection, planting vines in warmer and sheltered spots along the coast and interior. The net result is that Txakoli no longer assaults the palate. On the contrary: it is a joy to drink.

The situation in the province of Alava, meanwhile, remains highly contentious. Recently, the members of ABRA (Association of Rioja Alavesa winemakers) announced that an interim regulatory council was being set up to eventually regulate the production of DO Viñedos de Álava. For many Rioja producers situated in the Basque Country, this would replace the Rioja DOCa as their appellation of choice. As you might imagine, the Rioja authorities are less than thrilled about the idea, claiming that Viñedos de Álava represents an unpleasant slide into divisive Basque nationalism. Nevertheless, many of Rioja’s Alavesa’s top bodegas wish to sell their wines under a different banner, including producers who are not Basque nationals. A major legal challenge is undoubtedly on the cards with no compromise in sight.

Basque Country gastronomy

You may have heard that Basques are wizards in the kitchen. It’s a reputation well deserved: some of Spain’s finest restaurants are found in northern Spain, including several three-Michelin-starred venues with spectacular views of the Atlantic. They continue to wow the critics with their sophisticated – and nuanced – take on classical Basque cuisine. But for many visitors, the greatest pleasures are found in the endless tapas bars of Bilbao and San Sebastian, where delicious pintxos come in a staggering variety of guises. Needless to say, fresh seafood always features heavily on the menu.

Guide to Basque Gastronomy: Read more