EUSKAL HERRIA / Basque Country

THE BASQUE COUNTRY COASTLINE HOLDS THE NATIVE HONDARRABI ZURI CLOSE TO HEART

And then there’s the Hondarrabi Beltza

REGIONAL VINEYARD:

TOTAL VINEYARD SIZE

On its Atlantic coastline, you’ll find almost almost 600 hectares of the Basque country planted under vines. Here we are looking at this coastal area in isolation. But Euskal Herria also includes parts of Rioja Alta and Navarra.

Dedicated to Quality

3 small DO’s by the sea are focused on their local white variety Hondarrabi Zuri, producing young fresh whites.

NOTABLE CRU/ZONES:

Arabako Txakolina

50 ha

Bizkaiko Txakolina

210 ha

Getariako Txakolina

327 ha

WINE STYLE/QUALITY:

% REDS

20% Hondarrabi Beltza

% WHITES

Approximately 80% of production is dedicated to the native Hondarrabi Zuri

% DOP / IGP

These 3 coastal zones produce youthful white wines in the main.

BASQUE COUNTRY – NATIVE GRAPES

As always, we like to list those grapes which we understand are available as mono-varietals or which are locally important blenders. Naturally, as we make further discovery, we’ll update these lists.

NATIVE REDS

Hondarrabi Beltza

Cabernet Franc

One of the more interesting facts is that Cabernet Franc may indeed have its native home in the Basque Country. DNA analysis has revealed a relationship with Hondarrabi Beltza that appears to point the way. Interestingly, it’s not widely grown in these parts. On the French side of the Pyrenees however it’s a completely different story in Bordeaux.

NATIVE WHITES

Hondarrabi Zuri

Principal grapes grown on the coast for producing young early drinking whites

our statsources

  • Wine Grapes – Robinson, Harding & Vouillamoz
  • The World Atlas of Wine – Johnson & Robinson
  • Il Mondo del Vino – Associazione Italiana Sommelier, Edizione 2012
  • The Brothers ‘Candrian’ – Aron & Martin Candrian @ Espavino – www.espavino.com
  • Bizkaiko Txakolina Home- www.bizkaikotxakolina.eus/en/

VINTAGE INFORMATION

All our references are intended to be for indicative purposes only, due to the variability of available data from source to source and vintage to vintage. But we do try to keep ourselves ‘reasonably’ updated :)

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