The New Bodega in Town: K5 Txakoliña

Up on the hills overlooking the Bay of Biscay, about ten minutes from San Sebastián, is an experiment that could very well change the future of txakoli, the traditional white “table” wine of Basque Country.

Karlos Arguiñano, the Emeril Lagasse of Basque people, has started a bodega with a few of his friends to see just how high-end txakoli, done without cutting corners, can taste. To understand why that is even necessary, you have to know that there are lots of dirty secrets in the txakoli industry. 

Arguiñano and his associates decided to take matters into their own hands and open K5 Txakoliña, and focus on making a txakoli using only local grapes, for example.  Txakoli almost died out in the last century due to industrialization in the Basque Country and a grape sickness.  The granting of Denominación de Origen in the 1990′s, however, promoted a resurgence.  Now it is made in the Gipuzkoa province as well as Araba and Vizkaya. It is made with two grape varietals: Hondarribi Zuria and Hondarribi Beltza.

 They take their time, not needing to rush bottles to market. An interesting point of the K5 txakoli: normally txakoli is drunk within a year, but the vintners at K5 expect it to remain tasty, perhaps even get better, over the course of three to four.

There are many such things that differentiate this bodega: the process of destemming all the grapes, not common in txakoli makers. Using the majority of the pressed liquid for txakoli vinegar, instead of marketing inferior quality txakoli. Waiting until the ideal harvest time, instead of harvesting early and adding sugar.

So friend Ben laid out some of the world's best anchovies and poured me and a few friends a taste and...wow. This txakoli is different! It's noticeably less agressive and bubbly in the mouth. It's got a fuller flavor. And with plans to distribute to the United States, soon it will be available for you to try! 

Another chapter in the history of txakoli...

365 tuesdays

A Rioja wine (100% tempranillo) made by the Donostian and soumillier Manu Méndez, owner of La Vinateria.

’4 besos’ is made without filtering or treatment. Easy to drink, interesting and intense, the first edition (made from the 2006 harvest) is about to be sold out. Sumptuous

Part of this week's 365cities project.

wine with lulu : ribera del duero

After three months in this city, the sounds, smells, and faces are now far from foreign. What's second nature to me now will soon become a glimmering memory of a distant land, the my appetite for Spanish wine will inevitably persist.

It was a weekend like any other in San Sebastian. By the movement on our street alone I could tell you the hour. A clockwork routine inside and out. Before 10:30am, window shutters are still rolled down from the night before harboring motionless bodies sleeping off food and drink. The ringing of a landline and clopping of the heels from the unit above means it's 11am or past. Time to venture out.

A little side note: due to the painful process of typing all these write-ups on my iPhone, last week was to be my last wine. But Marti convinced my sour thumbs to type one more week -  So, back to our usual weekend walk to the vino shop. As I wander about like a lost sheep, examining the gaggle of bottles, Marti is lashing bottles off and on the shelf like a pro. She found a bottle from a region I had yet to explore and *bonus point - in a newly designed bottle. Sold.

THIS WEEK'S BOTTLE:

Name: Casa de Castilla

Region: Ribera del Duero

Year: 2007

Grape: 100% Tempranillo

Ribera del Duero is a reputable wine region in central Spain (north of Madrid) It's noted specifically for exclusive red wines made from Tempranillo grapes. These vines grow in high sediment soils along the banks of the Duero River, which is exposed to high altitude and extreme climatic conditions of little rain fall, hot summers, freezing winters. Casa de Castilla is of a Crianza age ( 2 years + barrel maturation) this bottle spent 12 months in French or American Oak barrels. Pertaining specifically to the name/label - you'll see the word 'Castilla' on a million wines here. For good reason, Spain is riddled with medieval castles. The wine label sports a guarding drum tower or for you chess lovers, a rook.

Now, let's get down to brass tacks - this fancy new bottle. Who's behind the design? Well, a famous Spanish Chef who goes by the name Martin Berasategui. His new, highly marketable design has a base that serves as a sediment-capturing chamber. Pretty much the bottle acts as its own decanter. Ridding your bottle of pesky dregs means you can milk every last drop of that fine wine. It's also a brilliant strong hold for serving/servers who do the proper punt hold ;) We'll see if this diddy catches fire with it's coming of age. 

Taste:

 Winter has been flung upon San Sebastian. The cold and dense seaside air give cause for achy joints and bone chilling nights. Lately, i tend to look more like a deranged hobo with my multiple layers of unseasonable clothing and fingerless gloves. Carting the bottle by he neck, i popped the cork in the comforts of a twin mattress I've inhabited so well. With an eager swiftness I began to pour a dark burgundy, vivid and clean. To the nose, a bowl of ripe fruit, woody with a complex undertone which easily puzzled my senses. To first sip, a surprisingly velvety smoothness. Quite opposite from the other tempranillos I've tried. A distinct earthy element, something unique which lingered in your nasal passage ( sounds silly, but true ) the smell consisted of hay and wood, like the smell of hot sun and sweet grass - mixed with munching on a brick of cheese. I dunno....this is the best way I can describe it. Anywho, it was delicious, full-bodied, smooth earthy goodness. It may have been clear of dregs but absolutely abundant with the ancient richness of the soil it hales from.

My wine drenched heart will miss all that this country has to offer.  I'm so grateful to Marti who not only took a shot on her nanny to do these write-ups but for all she's shown me of this magnificent Basque Country...

Lulu

wine with lulu: 4 besos

Hi everyone! Marti here. Sorry if anyone's Tuesday was ruined for lack of delicious pintxo posting. I was otherwise occupied (eating a ton of delicious ones) but will be back with a doozy next week.  Take it away, Lulu!

It was pretty clear that the sun was not going to shine last Saturday. The clouds hung heavy and seamless with the hazy marine layer. Marti and I poured out of the apartment and onto the streets, making our way to the local Gros (name of our district) wine shop, Vinateria. It rests only a few blocks away but requires weaving through and around that constant roadblock, the window shopper. It's a 'thing' here, really. A complete abandonment of time to a moment's view of...anything. Anywho, we reach the warm glow of our destination, where the owner, Manu Mendez, was standing out front on the phone. Marti soon strikes up a conversation with him while I wander along the walls of what feels like a massive private cellar. Wooden crates and dusty vintage liquors line the floor; olives, oils and other magnificent non perishables are wedged in corners and clinging to the edges of over 500 different wine and liquors.

Marti picked up a bottle labeled 4Besos, informing me that Manu was the vintner. For me, this news was too good to be true. Marti was playing translator when I asked how he came around to becoming a winemaker. A response that encompassed his life's work and passion, the dream of making his own wine was fueled by his 'If I don't do it now, I'll never do it.' Words to inspire, eh?  I was grinning ear to ear knowing that I was venturing of with a local's fruition in hand.

THIS WEEK'S BOTTLE:

Name: 4Besos (4Kisses)
Vineyard: Lar de Paula
Region: La Roja / El Villar de Alava
Year: 2006
Grape: Tempranillo
*unfiltered wine

4Besos hails from the vineyard of Lor de Paula, located near the cool and high region of the Sierra Cantabria in Elvillar de Alava. Alava is the largest of the three Basque provinces (as well as being the least populated). 4Besos is a single variety Tempranillo carrying strains of 46 year old vines. This has fermented in 'Ganymede'-stainless steel and then had 14 months of maturation in French oak barrels.

Tasting:

I pulled the cork from the bottle with the sound of beads hitting the floor. The cork had sprouted what looks of amethyst crystals. A bit confused, I stuck my index finger in the neck of he bottle and pulled out a rock candied finger. A Science museum treat from the gift shop I always wanted to like but never did. After clearing the diamonds, I slowly poured the wine scanning its intense dark cherry pigment for any remnants. Surprisingly, none.

Swirling the wine, long transparent gams coated the glass and a rich but complex aroma broke loose apart from the explicable dark berries and cherry. First sip, a sharpness and burst of dark fruits that carried a heavy stain. Second-third swigs, noticing something distinct but impossible for me to peg....if you could sip a sensation, it contained a crispness of cool mountain air, along with a hint of leather and earth. It sounds insane, but it's the only way I can describe it. There was an initial bite and dryness that striped my tongue dry - but when it became yesterday's wine, that sharp edge wore off.
* crystal notes * now, that confetti corking experience had me googling 'wine crystals' faster than my own drinking - if the wine is stored correctly the crystals themselves form towards the mouth/cork. The crystals are Tartaric acid which naturally form as part of the aging process. Most all mass wine producers process their wine to prevent this occurrence.

The 4Besos label may be off putting with its Coca-Cola like text and Jessica Rabbit kiss - but the overall experience was a privilege. Maybe a bit biased on my part due to the intimate circumstances. How often does one partake in drinking a thoughtfully made wine grown in the ancient hills of Basque Country and crafted by a local man you're happy to 'know' ....oh Spain....I'm one lucky creature who's sad to see this journey come to an end.

-lulu

wine with lulu : la rioja

Personal oddity, if I purchase or even think about purchasing alcohol before 3pm embarrassment and shame come into play. America seems to place this guilt factor on drinking. Back home I constantly hear 'it's five o'clock somewhere' and ' I've been so good, I've only had 3 glasses of wine this week.' Yeah, so? We tend to 'need a drink' which usually leads to over consumption/abuse rather than a healthy social habit. Europeans culturally live healthier (personal opinion), with more emphasis on daily routine. Days here are in units and everyone partakes in the same activities during that particular unit. Well, a slightly looser description than that, but you know what I mean.

This tangent is leading us back to the road, I promise - Last week I decided to 'save time' while walking home (how American of me) and stop in at the grocer for some wine. Unfortunately, my timing hit the siesta unit. Shops are closed, markets packed, shutters down, everyone is home or out feasting on lunch. However, the local 'chain' grocer stays open. When I casually strolled in, it was a ghost town. The lounging about staff turned their heads all together and winced at the now flashing neon tourist sign above my head. I continued on through the low saloon gates, which I felt should have been locked? Envisioned a tumbleweed passing before me while the eyes of the townspeople were locked upon this stranger. Then I quickly shot myself back into reality. After picking up three apples and a bag of bitter greens I made my way to the wine. There, I remained for 12 minutes pacing back and forth, examining bottles, comparing prices obsessively, with new regions in mind. Then I finally figured why I was having such a difficult time deciding. I'm a label person. Poor wine labels are a turn off. It's kinda sad but true - but I had to play reasonable. So, I checked out with a 7 euro, pleasant face from a new region then trotted off with a wildcard in hand. 

THIS WEEK'S BOTTLE:

Vineyard: Bodegas Bilbainas 

Name: Vina Pomal 

Region: Haro - La Rioja 

Year: 2008

Grape: Tempranillo 

La Rioja is a province of northern Spain. It lies just south of this Basque country. The town Haro is in the northwestern region of La Rioja, where this vineyard inhabits. Haro is known for it's annual summer wine festival. 'Battle of the Wine' where drinking competitions take place and what's our throwing of Mardi Gras beads is their throwing buckets of wine on one another. 

Bodegas Bilbainas is the largest vineyard in northern Rioja and the largest to have all it's vineyards in Haro. Vina Pomal is a single-vineyard wine, which is a concept used by winemakers who desire a distinction. The word Crianza seen on the label means that the wine is in it's 3rd year and  has spent at least 12 months in cask. 

The Tasting: 

After a few swirls and a couple sips, the heavy pigment and dark fruit flavors left me with a purple smile. As we know from last week, tempranillo is a full bodied black grape - a plum looking beauty. This wine had a definite dryness and acidic-like twang - or as I like to call it...a hyper hypo wine. I prefer one which has simmered down. More mellow, smooth, no punch that makes your eyes water. Though, pair this baby with some cheese and bread, you'll have a fine table wine. But really, who am I kidding? It's not bad, just not one to lust for. 

Even though my random siesta rendezvous wasn't a complete discovery, it was well for knowledge. By the bye, no 'label theory' next week - Marti will be back perusing bottles as well! 

Toodles, 

-lulu