Txakoli de Bizkaia – Bizkaiko Txakolina is a Spanish
Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) ( eu, Jatorri Deitura Babestua) for wines, located in the province of
Bizkaia,
Basque Country,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. The DOP includes vineyards from 82 different municipalities.
Txacolí
Txakoli (pronounced ) or chacolí (pronounced ) is a slightly sparkling, very dry white wine with high acidity and low alcohol content produced in the Spanish Basque Country, Cantabria and northern Burgos in Spain. Further afield, Chile is als ...
is a thin white acidic wine that can be naturally fizzy and is traditionally served like cider, poured from a height into the glass.
History
The Txacolí de Bizkaia DOP was created in 1994 and covers around 250 hectares of vineyards. Wine had traditionally been made in this manner for hundreds of years and was popular from the Middle Ages up to the end of the 19th century, when the vines were devastated by the
phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...
virus and the effects of industrialization of the Basque Country. There are now 36 wineries (bodegas) registered with the DOP.
Authorised grape varieties
The authorised grape varieties are:
* Red:
Ondarribi Beltza
* White:
Hondarrabi Zuri is preferred; also authorised are
Hondarrabi Zuri Zerratia / Petit Courbu,
Mune Mahatsa / Folle Blanche,
Izkiriota / Gros Manseng,
Izkiriota Ttippia /Petit Manseng,
Sauvignon Blanc
is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...
,
Riesling
Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...
, and
Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
As in neighbouring Guipuzcoa, the main variety used to make txacolí is the white
Hondarrabi Zuri, though there is also some
Folle Blanche
Folle blanche, also known as Picpoule, Gros Plant, and Enrageat blanc, is a wine grape variety from southwest France. It was the traditional grape variety in Cognac and Armagnac production until the 20th century. Folle blanche is an offspring o ...
planted. The red
Hondarribi Beltza
Hondarrabi beltza is a red variety of Vitis vinifera, that is native of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain. It is the grape used to make red txacoli wine, which is not as common as the traditional white txacoli.
Re ...
variety is much less common and is only found in significant quantities in the municipality of
Bakio
Bakio ( eu, Bakio, es, Baquio) is a municipality in the province of Biscay, Basque Country, Spain.
Location and characteristics
It is a small valley which is drained inland by the River Estepona. This valley is surrounded by mountains to the ...
. Near the coast, the vines are trained over pergolas, while inland, around the town of
Balmaseda
Balmaseda (in Basque and officially, in Spanish: ''Valmaseda'') is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country. Balmaseda is the capital city of the comarca of Enkarterri, in western Biscay and serves an impo ...
they are on
trellises (''en espaldera'').
Vineyards
The vineyards are planted along the coast and the banks of the estuary, both to the east and to the west of Bilbao, the provincial capital. There are two main traditional areas: Bakio on the coast and Balmaseda inland. Most of the vineyards are small and dispersed on the low foothills near the coast, at an average height of 150 m above sea-level.
The soils near the coast are predominantly clay while further inland it is more varied. In deep soil areas there limestone and marls are present. The shallow soils are neutral or acidic and rich in organic matter.
* There are 240 ha of vineyards registered with the D.O.
* Permitted maximum yield: 70%
* Maximum authorized yield: 13,000 kg/ha
* Permitted alcohol content: 11.5% (white); 12% (red)
Climate
The climate around Bakio is cool, rainy and completely Atlantic, while inland around Balsameda, it is warmer, drier and more continental with micro-climates in each valley.
The average temperature is 12°C and there is an occasional risk of late frosts and hail. It is rainy all year round with an average annual rainfall of 1,000 mm to 1,200 mm.
References
External links
D.O.P. Bizkaiko Txakolina-Txakoli de Bizkaia-Chacolí de Bizkaia official website
Wine regions of Spain
Appellations
Wine classification
Biscay
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