Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2009 | Page 117

FOOD & DRINK

Tim Flint

life

Let the
Txak attack!

Txak ??? (CHack) ie Txacoli
(CHA-koh-lee) to make the
pronunciation easier. It is the
most fantastic wine from the
Basque region on the north
Atlantic coast of Spain. I
seem to be focused on Spanish
regions at the moment with
Sherry in the last issue and
now the other end of the
country with Txacoli. It must
be the onslaught of what I
hope will be a warm summer
like 2003 and don’t we need it!
So why the fuss? – well
when I first tasted this wine,
I was immediately knocked
sideways at just how drinkable
and thirst quenching it
was – all too easy really!
The chalky-hued Txacoli is
tart, yet salty and curiously
addictive - especially when
you’re clenching a fistful of
anchovies - a refreshing, cidery
sea breeze. There is a spritz
to the wine that needs to be
poured from some height into
the glass to fully energise the
slightly soft bubble. Waiters
at tapas restaurants in San
Sebastian, the heart of Txacoli
country, start pouring the wine
near the glass and then pull the
two apart, finishing the pour
with a two-foot stream from
the bottle into the glass. The
effect increases the bubbles in
the wine. Those who try it fall
for the little spray of bubbles

in the glass, the green apple
tartness and the rush of stony
minerality. It is the wine of
choice for oysters and seafood
dishes.
The region is a series of
craggy cliffs and twisty windy
roads between these tiny
valleys. The vineyards grow
on the east facing sides of
the valleys being protected
from the Atlantic winds and
rains. It is after all the wettest
area of Spain, known as the
“Green Spain”. Much like
the Albariño wines of the
Rias Baixas, this Txacoli has
a delightful freshness and
zippiness that grabs your
attention from the first sip.
The locals drink this in the
bars with “pinxtos”, a light
bread with a seafood topping
of crab, prawn or anchovy.
Why don’t English bars have
such sophisticated bar snacks!
I have been bit by the Txacoli
bug, which after a glass or ten
of this, puts you in an air of
human sunshine! As you can
imagine, I want you to come
and experience this great wine
and enjoy it in the summer
sun. Let the Txac attack!
Tim Flint, Eurovines Ltd,
01983 811743

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