2024 Lasalde Elkartea, Balea White, Txakolina, Spain

This Basque region grape  gives us a delightfully unique and delicious wine -"Sea mist and melon on the nose. Tart green apple on the palate with a slight fizz. Light and dry. A secondary savory quality of salt and stone. Pair with salty snacks and seafood—Cantabrian anchovies and crusty bread are the traditional go-to."

In the town of Getaria in the Basque region of Spain is a beautiful little wine Called "Balea". The wine is pronounced "ch" as in "charge" Txakoli "Cha-kolee" white. Crisp, spritzy dry white based on the local white grape, Hondaribbi Zuri.

One of the original 10 growers to build the Getariako Txakolina DOP in 1990, Lasalde Elkartea is actually the result of a union of two farms that collaborated for many years before formally blending their operation: Akarregi Txiki and Lasalde. The 17-hectare affair focusing on indigenous Basque varieties is mere miles from the Bay of Biscay and is home to Lurdes Zubizarreta and her son Iker Eizmendi. Lurdes manages the winery and cellar, and Iker has proven his hand in the vineyards (as well as tending their ever-growing flock of sheep). 

Their two wines are produced from the local Hondarribi Zuri and Hondarribi Beltza grapes. They are fermented on native yeasts over the course of five months in stainless steel, then aged on their lees. As the wine is not racked, a small amount of CO2 is captured, creating Txakoli's signature refreshing spritz. 

They make two wines under their 'Balea' label ('balea' means 'whale' in the Basque tongue): a white and a rosé. Both labels celebrate the now bygone whaling tradition of northern Spain, once the economic crux of the region. That particular maritime culture may be gone, but the wines still pair fantastically with all manner of seafood.