The producer is called Talai Berri, the appellation is Getariako Txakolina, and the wine is the essence of Spain’s Basque Country: An exceptionally crisp, slightly salty taste of the wind-whipped Atlantic Coast. Not only are the bracing, slightly fizzy whites of the “País Vasco” finding an enthusiastic audience stateside, the rosados from this part of the world offer a kind of crunch and mouth-watering refreshment that is becoming ever-rarer in the rosé category these days (not only are some of France’s most iconic rosés getting a little “fatter,” they’re getting very expensive). This is a food wine extraordinaire, and one that will disappear in what feels like a heartbeat.
The Getariako Txakolina DOP (denominación de origen protegida), one of three geographically specific Txakolina (chock-o-leena) appellations along the Bay of Biscay and the closest to Spain’s border with France. It’s a cold, wet, Atlantic-influenced climate, with vineyards planted in coastal hills on soils of mostly alluvial deposits of gravel and sand mixed with chalky clay and limestone.
Bixente Eizaguirre, a fourth-generation winemaker, founded this family-run estate in 1992 and has now welcomed his daughters, Itziar and Onditz, into the mix. Eizaguirre was active in the creation of Getariako Txakolina DOP, in 1989, and his winery was the first built exclusively for producing Txakoli wines. They grow 12 hectares of vines, including three of the red Hondarrabi Beltza, which is blended in equal proportion to the white Hondarrabi Zuri in this wine.
Hand-harvested in small cases, equal parts Hondarrabi Beltza and Hondarrabi Zuri are sorted and de-stemmed before being crushed and allowed to macerate for a few hours. Fermentation is then carried out at a cool temperature to preserve freshness, after which the finished wine is aged briefly in those same steel tanks. As with all Txakoli wines, you’ll notice a slight hint of spritz (from trapped CO2) on the palate when the wine is uncorked. Even in its “second spring,” this is a rosé of brisk freshness and an expert balance of fruit and minerality. The wine displays a light dusty rose color, with aromas and flavors of wild strawberry, cranberry, red apple skin, and a healthy dash of sea salt. Another seafood wine extraordinaire: try it with the Spanish classic of grilled or braised octopus with paprika.
