I have always liked him txacoli, as well as other fresh wines, such as ribeiro, and, in addition, natural cider.
Now, until trip to Euskadi that not long ago I had the opportunity to enjoy, I didn't know that there were many different varieties of txacolí.
En Berroja Wineries, in the beautiful natural enclave of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, in the surroundings of the Mundaka estuary, I participated in a day of wine tourism and with a txacolís tasting where I had the opportunity to taste up to five different specialties.
El txacoli It is a wine of the year, traditionally made in farmhouses, with light bubbles and a low alcohol content (9,5 degrees), which is served fresh. But it has a characteristic acidity that makes it a wine that is not so easy for everyone to drink.
Traditionally, to serve txacolí you had to throw it away, as happens with cider, so that it would break in the glass, but nowadays this is no longer the case.
Under designation of origin of txacolí, and complying with the rule that at least 80 percent of the native grapes are used in its production. Hondarribi Zuri, rounder, easier-to-drink txacolís are marketed, but in certain cases it doesn't even seem like they are.
In fact, there are now three denominations of origin that exist: getaria txacolí, which was the initial name, the txacolí from Vizcaya and txacoli from Alava.
In particular, the designation of origin of getaria txacolí was established in 1990, and covered only wines made in the Guetaria, Zarauz and Aya areas. But in 2007 the geographical area was expanded to Guipuzcoa, although the initial name was maintained. of getaria.
In the txacolís tasting from Bodegas Berroja I was able to see the great difference in flavor between the most traditional preparations and the most modern ones.
The traditional way of making txacolí implies that, after harvesting the grapes from the end of September, the grapes are pressed and then the must ferments at a controlled temperature, between 15 and 30 days.
Finally, after a few months of rest, it is ready for consumption. In short, a wine that you should drink every year, and no later than a year and a half after its production.
And tgetaria xacolí It is the one that maintains the most traditional flavor, with the aforementioned acidity, which is precisely what I have always liked about this wine.
Miguel Garaizábal, who created the Berroja Wineries In 1995, with an initial plantation of vineyards of three hectares, he told us that in their production they maintained that characteristic flavor, although reducing the acidity a little, since it is what gives the txacolí its personality compared to other white wines that are made in the region. world.
Currently, in Berroja Wineries, which has a vineyard area of 20 hectares, about 70.000 bottles of classic txacolí are produced per year. But they also offer another variant of more elaborate txacolí, aged in dead yeast for two years, of which they produce 5.000 bottles a year.
If you are interested in deepening your knowledge of the preparation of traditional txacolí, when you tour the places of the natural environment of Urdaibai You can sign up for guided tours of the wineries, as well as txacolís tasting, in an activity of wine tourism.
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