Each month in our ‘Spotlight On…’ series, we explore a new city and its wine culture, diving into the drinking trends, where to go for great wines, and any unique products or services linked to the region. Keeping our finger on the pulse when it comes to the wider world of wine is critical when helping us to identify areas of opportunity for our clients, aiding our eventing arm ‘Wrapped’, and for our online product offering on Uncorked. Whether curious about the habits and happenings of a city, or looking for wine-centric areas to visit, our ‘Spotlight On…’ series is for you.
I recently had the pleasure of re-visiting San Sebastián, a small(-ish) city in the north of the Basque Country’s Gipuzkoa province of which it is the capital. It is known for its breathtaking vistas, mercurial weather, abundant pintxos and, the highest amount of Michelin Star restaurants per capita in Europe – which, as you can probably guess, is postceded by plenty of excellent wine. There is, luckily for all of us, a fantastic selection of wine bars too, who admirably promote native Spanish wines, including the Basque specialty of Txakoli.
OVERALL TRENDS
- Respect & pride for local Spanish wines, especially Txakoli and from Ribera del Duero.
- Culture of small, shared dishes, allowing many great wine pairings over a single meal.
- A huge selection of bars and restaurants within walking distance, with plenty to try.
TXAKOLI
THE LOCAL BASQUE WINE
Among the many local delicacies of the Basque country is Txakoli, a clean, crisp, refreshing, and lightly-sparkling wine, similar to the Albariño of their Galician neighbours, or Portugal’s Vinho Verde. Having started out as a ‘simple farmer’s wine’ in the 15th century, it has since seen a renaissance, whereby producers are modernising and innovating, whilst retaining the subtleties for which it is known. There are only three D.O. appellations allowed to make it: Vizcaya, Alva, and Getaria, the latter of which was the first, is the largest, and the one in which San Sebastián is located. Across the country, Txakoli is made from a large diversity of white and red grapes, and as such, has huge diversity in flavour profile, from crisp and sour apples, softer stone-fruit notes like peach and apricot, to the tropical sharpness of passionfruit and pineapple. In almost all cases, it will contain a popular native grape called Hondarribi Zuri. In Getaria particularly, from vineyards strewn along the hilly coastline of Northern Spain’s Cantabrian Sea, it is predominantly grassy, dry, and has a slightly salty-pebbled finish, due to the coastal proximity and drainage-heavy soil of the slopes. This clean, refreshing and subtle profile, along with a middling acidity, and low ABV, lends itself extremely well to the host of seafood you will find in the coastal city of San Sebastián. When ordering it, you will find the bartender rather theatrically pours from as high as they can, in order to aerate it, agitate the aromas, and heighten its gentle effervescence.
Because of its ubiquity, there are simply hundreds of labels you will find it sold under, and as such, knowing what you are in for can be a bit of a challenge. However, in a more wine-centric location, or a place known for its food, asking the bartender will more-than-likely get you a good choice. One particular label to keep an eye out for is Aitaren, who perfectly balance tradition and innovation, using 100% Hondarribi Zuri, but age it for a longer period of 6 month, on lees, and with French oak – something designed to extenuate the intensity of profile, making it more fruit-forward and less dry.
San Sebastián is absolutely resplendent with bars and restaurants; the Old Town, located in the east side just a 5 minute walk from both the beach and the impressive cathedral, is essentially a lattice of 16 or so small streets, predominately occupied by bars, restaurants, cafés, and a few shops as well. Navigating these streets, hopping from bar to bar gives you an amazing opportunity to try many of the myriad Txakolis on offer, as well as the local style of cider, which is also quite a treat!
BAR HOPPING
Curdelón
Location: Kolon Pasealekua, 35, 20002 Donostia
Vibe: Cozy, intimate, elegant.
Known for: Amazing array of local wines, not too many international wines, great service.
Narru
Location: San Martin Kalea, 22, 20005 Donostia
Vibe: Classy, modern, sleek.
Known for: Local seafood, blends tradition and modernity, fantastic international wine list.
Elkano
Location: Herrerieta Kalea 2, 20808 Getaria
Vibe: Traditional, casual, homely.
Known for: Seafood focused, nautical/port-town inspired interior, well-priced.
Akelarre
Location: Padre Orkolaga Ibilbidea, 56, Donostia
Vibe: Picturesque, comfortable, relaxed.
Known for: Amazing views, unique food offering, a large state-of-the-art wine cellar.
THE CULINARY AVANTE-GARDE
ARZAK
Following on from the Bar Hopping section prior, I wanted to write about many of the other fascinating things in San Sebastián, but Arzak’s excellence and intrigue is simply irresistible. A family-run restaurant since its founding 128 years ago, Arzak has expertly driven the avant-garde in all things culinary, whilst still retaining a firm continuity with tradition. The building was initially built as the family home, and also housed both a wine cellar and a tavern. Not long after, family matriarch Francisca ‘Paquita’ Arratibel and her husband converted the bottom floor into a restaurant, serving traditional Basque stews amongst other things. As the years went on, the food began to evolve, to adapt, and to explore. By 1966, the spot had become incredibly popular, and was taken over by Paquita’s son, Juan Mari Arzak who accelerated the innovative experimentation even further; not long after, it gained the National Gastronomy Award in 1974, as the world had begun to recognise the family’s penchant for protecting Basque culinary culture, whilst launching it into the world of nouvelle cuisine.
The heart of this avant-gardism is the family, but the brain is clearly the ‘Laboratory’ located on the top-floor, where full-time staff work on new recipes, experimentation, and hold a stock of over 1000 ingredients, whereby they develop the future changes to their irrevocably seasonal menu. In the 21st century, the awards only continued, receiving more National Gastronomy Awards, 3 Michelin stars, and after Juan Mari’s daughter Elena Arzak took over as head chef, she acquired Chef de L’Avenir from the International Academy of Gastronomy, received Veuve Cliquot’s ‘World’s Best Female Chef’ in 2012, and is currently one of only five female chefs to hold 3 Michelin stars.
Now, on to the wine! It is clear that the whole organism operates as a family, whether by blood or not; Mariano Rodriquez, their in-house Sommelier, has been there for over 45 years, and has also received many national and international awards. He maintains their extensive wine cellar of over 100,000 bottles, which is given its own floor on the building; from here, they promote many Spanish wines, but their list is full of amazing international choices from across the globe as well. Mariano himself fell in love with wine through Burgundy, and as such, has a cherished Burgundian offering. Staples like Vega Sicilia and La Fleur can be found on the list, but are supported – or carried, even – by a stunning prevalence of smaller or boutique offerings from Spain and beyond, wines you simply will not discover without Mariano’s keen eye and palate. They have even paired up with La Rioja Alta to create their own tempranillo wine, and with star of Navarra, Julián Chivite, to create two lighter offerings: one a grenache and tempranillo rosé, and the other a grenache and grenache blanc white wine. This huge offering is done justice by Mariano’s excellent ability to pair with their intensely complex dishes. The idiosyncratic nature of their food means the usual rules and trends of pairing simply have to transcended, a feat most assuredly achieved.
Now, I imagine you want to travel to Spain to try it. Luckily, being not only an icon of Basque cuisine, but of the culinary globe too, they have since opened a sister restaurant in London, called Ametsa, which brings their immense skillset abroad, and is headed up and attended by the family, with head chef Elena making frequent visits to direct the orchestral symphony of their project.
If you’re planning a trip or simply looking for more tailored recommendations, don’t hesitate to get in touch and with the help of our resident Tasting & Travel Specialist, Daria Ilina, we would be happy to help.
