Txakoli: The Spanish Summer Sipper You Cannot Pronounce

By Susan L Richards, CSW

The Basque country of Spain is an autonomous community that sits on the extreme western end of Spain’s border with France at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains and wine has been made in this region since the time of the Romans, with 95% of it being white. The most famous and best known white wine of Basque country is Taxakoli or Txakolina as the Basques call it (pronounced sha-ko-Lee-na) and comes from the Arabic word meaning “thinness”. Although it is hard to pronounce the name it is a perfect wine for summer picnics and hot weather refreshment.

Txakoli is made from the native Basque white grape Hondarribi Zuri and produces a fresh, fruity, bone dry, low alcohol wine, with a slight effervescence. The more modern versions of Txakoli can be made in an elegant and more full body style for which the wine is aged on the lees or in oak barrels. Txakoli red and rose wines are also produced from the Hondarribi Beltza black grape, but in much smaller quantities and are not as readily exported but can be found in small boutique wine shops. Despite the similar name of the two grapes, they are not related but instead Hondarribi Beltza variety may be the son of the black grape Cabernet Franc.

Vineyards in the Basque region can be found close to the coastline, in interior valleys, or on the slopes of mountains of medium altitude. Production of Txakoli is primarily done by small and medium sized companies owned and operated by families. There are three Denominaciones de Origen (DO) in Txakoli that protect and regulate its production. The D.O. designation is only achieved by meeting certain standards of vineyard management, wine making, and quality. Named after the towns in the areas where they are located the three D.O.’s include Txakoli de Getaria, first one established in 1989, Txakoli de Bizkaia, where the more complex styles of Txakoli are being made, and Txakoli de Alava the newest and smallest of the three.

The Getaria D.O. is the largest producer of traditional Txakoli with over 2 million bottles annually and is the most frequently exported. When being served, there is a unique way to pouring Txakoli de Getaria wine into a glass called “breaking” . It involves pouring the wine from several feet above a short tumbler and takes great skill and precision. This traditional process is thought to aerate the wine making its flavor and aroma more vivid. 

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