Ameztoi Txakolina

Txakolina is white wine made in the Basque region of Spain. This region is in the northern part of the country near the board with France. It is cooled by the northern Atlantic currents. This temperature moderation makes it possible to grow some nice white wine.  Check out the notes below. It is a really cool wine that is slightly effervescent and righteous. Crisp, Clean, Refreshing. Yes please!

Wine Maker’s Technical notes:

The wine that has come to define the traditional style of txakolina from Getaria. Light, crisp, refreshing, and low alcohol, Ameztoi Txakolina is bottled with a touch of residual carbon dioxide gas to give it its natural, signature, spritzy style. It is produced exclusively from indigenous hondarrabi zuri grapes at the Ameztoi estate, grown on traditional trellises high on the slopes rising above Getaria, an ancient Basque fishing village on Spain’s rugged northern coast. A joyful wine with signature salty and briny notes, crisp acidity, low alcohol, and refreshing spritz naturally complements the region’s exquisite seafood.

Vintage – 2020 was an extremely challenging and strenuous vintage for everyone, particularly for artisan producers in northern Spain. It was a year where the skill and experience of the producer’s work in the vineyards was paramount, as was the case with Ameztoi. A rainy spring set the conditions for outbreaks of mildew, resulting in the loss of many grapes and lower yields; however, the bunches that were unaffected were of excellent quality. The summer was quite hot and dry, which pushed the harvest forward to early September, but some relief did come in the form of sporadic rainstorms, which provided much-needed relief for the drought-stressed vines. Overall, 2020 is more balanced than 2019, with excellent, fully developed fruit, good structure, and refreshing acidity.

Vinification – Ameztoi Txakolina is traditionally crafted with high acidity and low alcohol, utilizing only the native hondarrabi zuri variety. After hand harvesting, the must ferments in refrigerated stainless steel tanks using indigenous yeasts from the vineyard. Towards the end of alcoholic fermentation, the tanks are closed to preserve the natural carbonation from fermentation, which is the preferred style of Getaria. The tanks are then kept chilled to near freezing before bottling, which preserves the wine’s delicate, effervescent character and signature mousse. These attributes are unattainable through shortcuts such as force-carbonation, which Ameztoi has never employed.