Friday, August 16th
5-8pm
Flight of 5 wines +. 1 cider for $25 ($15 club)
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The Basque country, a small autonomous community along Spain's northeastern coast at the foothills of the Pyrenees, is home to a rich cultural and culinary tradition, has long been a hub of modern art and architecture, and its people speak a distinct language that predates the Romance languages. It also boasts one of the most electric wine regions in the world, largely focused on native varieties like Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza and marked by racy acidity, energetic texture, and an unmistakable vein of salinity running throughout.
Unlike its southern neighbors in Rioja, the Basque region is most renowned for its production of white wine, and in particular, the light fizz of the region's most beloved style: Txakoli. Bone dry, blisteringly bright acid, and low alcohol: the perfect formula for a food-friendly wine to pour liberally for a long night of pintxos (small bites) at the bar. But while Txakoli is undoubtedly the Basque's most famous export, Basque wine is much more than a single style. A new generation of producers are focused on making Txakoli without its distinctive fizz, choosing instead to produce wines with a broader, more lush texture while still capturing the distinct minerality and salinity that has come to define the region. Red wine from the native Hondarribi Beltza (a variety not found anywhere else in the world) accounts for a much smaller percentage of total wine production in Txakoli, but the small amount that is made strikes a perfect balance of brambly red fruit, lively acid, and savory spice. The small Rioja subzone Rioja Alavesa along the River Ebro captures a freshness in Tempranillo not often found in wines from the lower elevation sites elsewhere in the broader Rioja region, thanks to the cooler climate and shade provided by the Cantabrian mountains. And it would be criminal to explore the Basque region without acknowledging its long tradition of cider (and of the sagardotegi, cider houses where people would gather for hours over traditional Basque foods).
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On Friday, we'll highlight the full range of Basque wine (and cider!), from lightly fizzy, traditional Txakoli to Champagne-method, vintage bubbles, Txakoli tinto to our favorite old-school cider. And because you can't enjoy Basque wine without Basque food, we'll have some pintxos to nosh on while you taste (and maybe a porrón or two might make an appearance behind the bar).
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*No reservations necessary