Holy Moly, have you ever tried Txakoli? Ok, so I have to confess up front, Txakoli does not rhyme with Holy Moly. Instead, it rhymes more with broccoli (Txakoli = cha – koh = lee), but I could not come up with a cute title using one of my fave green veggies! Now that we’ve cleared up it’s pronunciation, let’s get moving on what the heck it is!
Txakoli, or sometimes referred to as Txakolina, is gorgeous wine hailing from the Basque Country (or region) of Spain. Think Green Spain. Rustic, coastal, steep slopes, verdant landscape, charming, turn back the clock. Txakoli is not just a wine, it’s deeply embedded into the Basque culture. It’s not just a simple wine, it can present itself in numerous ways. Slightly fizzy, crisp, fresh and citrusy. Light, dry and still. Full of bubbles. Or even red. It is multifaceted and worthy of exploration!
Who better to help explain this awesome wine than the eminent expert herself, Dr. Kerri Lesh, otherwise known as Dr. Txakoli. Having met Kerri on a recent trip to the KCMO area, I took the opportunity while in town again to connect and deep dive this summer stunner as part of a Txakoli / Basque event she was spearheading at The Wine Bunker. Check out Dr. Txakoli’s Txakoli 101 in the short video below! Trust me, you’ll want her to pronounce the names of all the varietals, not me!
For the full video of my fun with Dr. Txakoli become a Patreon Partner today!!!
If you missed the event at The Wine Bunker (assuming you did if you’re reading this since it was June 29th!), you’ll have to set out on your own to track down these beauties! The good news is they are becoming more and more available on the U.S. market. In fact, my podcast partner and Managing Partner of The Magnolia Wine Bar, Charisse Henry, just had one of her wine reps present a Txakoli a few weeks ago. YIPPEE! I’m super happy as the bottles I grabbed likely won’t last long and I’ll definitely be needing a backfill.
A few quick tips and spellings to help you on your pursuit:
- Hondarrabi zuri: One of the primary grape varietals —zuri means “white” in Basque
- Getariako Txakolina: Wine from the Getaria region (Denominacion de Origin)
- Bizkaiko Txakolina: Wine from the Biscay region
- Arabako Txakolina: Wine from the Alava region
In Basque, Txakoli loosely translates to “just enough for the house”. In my opinion, there might not be enough for the house as I’m predicting Txakoli may become a new summer favorite for all of you! Stay tuned for an upcoming episode of Somm Women Talk Wine where Charisse and I will be highlighting interesting, and little known summer whites – including Txakoli!
Cheers, or as they say in Basque “TOPA”!!!
#txakoli #basque #basquewine #spanishwine #domsom.us #drtxakoli #kansascity #thewinebunker
