Oxinbaltza

DO Bizkaiko

Today the Basque costal city of San Sebastian has some of the best and most exciting restaurants in the world.  With excellent local seafood and a naturally cool maritime climate, it is no wonder that the main wine of the area is white and crisp.  This wine is called Txakoli and it is made with indigenous grapes Handarrabi Zuri and Handarrabi Beltza.  Txakoli has historically been little more than a quaffing wine without much complexity. While it is unlikely to ever reach the realms of the great whites of the world, there are an increasing number producers pushing the limits of this wine to quality levels unknown in the past.


Oxinbaltza was founded in 2004 with an ambition to seriously change the game when it comes to Txakoli.  The desire here is to  offer wines that are distinct in terms of both style and quality from their local counterparts.  Like many Vinho Verdes, most Txakoli has relied on a little spritzy carbonation to liven up an otherwise mediocre and simple wine that wouldn't stand so well on its own without the help of some gas to add some pep.  The Bizkaiko DO probably has the highest percentage of the three Txakoli DOs with producers using the least amount of carbonation in their wines.  They are relying on the raw material in the wine to hold its own.  The difficulty is obtaining the great raw material.  Oxinbaltza is working in the very steep and rugged mountainous zone of the area.  The gradient of their vineyards resembles something one might see in the Mosel Valley of Germany compared to just about any other Txakoli vineyards.  From the orginal site selection to the manner of farming to the finished wine, obsessive attention to detail is paramount at Oxinabaltza.  The results of this scrupulous dedication evident in the wines that have uncommon depth of fruit for the region while still maintaining all hallmark zesty salinity of classic txakoli.  These wines are all the more impressive considering the value they deliver compared to other wines in the regioin and the labor-intensive demands required by the steep mountain vineyards.


Enjoy these wines with fried oysters, steamed clams, crudo, sea bass or just about any sea food.