📍 Basque Country

The Basque Country is an autonomous region in northern Spain, on the Bay of Biscay. The climate is Atlantic: cool, humid and rainy, so the wines are light with high acidity. The winemaking tradition here is very old.

The region's main wine is txakoli (txakolina in Basque): a dry white, slightly fizzy, low in alcohol, with a bright taste of lemon and green apple. It is made mostly from the white Hondarrabi Zuri, less often from the red Hondarrabi Beltza. Traditionally it is poured into the glass from a great height so the wine foams slightly.

There are three separate appellations: Getariako Txakolina (Getaria), Bizkaiko Txakolina (Biscay) and Arabako Txakolina (Álava). Txakoli goes best with seafood and pintxos.

The Basque Country is part of Spanish winemaking. Do not confuse it with Rioja Alavesa, which is part of Rioja even though it also lies in Álava. Txakoli is drunk chilled, as an aperitif or with fried fish, which is how it is served in Basque bars. The name Basque Country on a label shows that the grapes grew in this very area, which makes it easy to look for similar wines.