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TXAKOLI
Txakoli is a special type of wine typical of the Basque Country and intrinsically linked, until now at least, to the coastal regions. Traditional Txakoli producing areas include Guipúzcoa, Bizkaia and the Alavan region of Ayala.
Currently, Txakoli vines are cultivated in all three historical territories, although their numbers are much fewer than those used to make Rioja Alavesa wines. In specific terms, Txakoli producing vines cover a total area of 375 hectares, distributed in the following way: 200 hectares in the Getaria Designation of Origin (which encompasses vineyards in Aia, Getaria and Zarautz), with an annual production of around 1,400,000 litres; 120 hectares in Bizkaia (spread throughout the province, although the highest concentrations are located in the Bakio region and Las Encartaciones), with an annual production of approximately 800,000 litres; and finally, 55 hectares in Álava, with an annual production of around 300,000 litres.
All the wine produced is sold within the year, mainly in neighbouring regions, with the exception of a small number of consignments that are sold in specialist establishments in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, as well as in Basque restaurants throughout Spain. Today, Txakoli can be found on the shelves of many large supermarkets, and to date, there has never been a year in which almost all stocks have not been sold.
TXAKOLI IN ALAVA
In June 1989, the Alavan Association of Txakoli Producers – Arabako Txakolina Elkartea was set up with the aim of joining forces in order to revitalise this agricultural activity which, in earlier years, had been considered one of the fundamental pillars of the region’s economy.
In fact, the first written records found show that as early as 864, Txakoli production in Álava was a common, generalised practice among farmers in the Ayala Valley, particularly in Amurrio, Laudio and Ayala. The cartulary of San Millán de la Cogolla includes several written references to the fact that vines were grown for wine making in Ayala. During the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, Txakoli plantations thrived throughout the entire Ayala region under the auspices of fiercely protectionist bylaws that prohibited the importation of wine from outside the area until all local produce had been consumed. Thus the Arespalditza archives contain the first appearance of the word chacolín, located specifically in the municipal archives of the Basque Country, dated 1 November 1623. Similarly, in 1899, Benito Pérez Galdós also referred to the Txakoli of Amurrio in his novel Vergara, from the National Episodes series.
This increasing development took a sudden downward turn at the beginning of the 20th century, when production in the region dropped sharply and brought about the almost total disappearance of Álava’s Txakoli vineyards. In 1877, vineyards covered around 550 hectares, but successive plagues of powdery mildew, phylloxera and downy mildew, coupled with other factors such as industrialisation and changes in consumer tastes, resulted in the almost total disappearance of vine plantations and Txakoli production in Ayala, with the notable exception of those wine producers that later came together to create the aforementioned Alavan Association of Txakoli Producers – Arabako Txakolina Elkartea. These producers include, among others, Mr Celedonio Campo Otaolaurrutxi from Kostera in Aiara, who kept the flame of Txakoli production alive in the region, Mr Txomin Solaun from Amurrio and the founder of the Association and the man who laid the cornerstone of what would later become the Txakoli of Álava Designation of Origin, Mr Eugenio Álava, also from Amurrio. These men, and those like them, fought to preserve and develop this age-old tradition more from a love of the product and a desire to keep the traditions passed down by their forebears alive, than from any thirst for profit.
During the first quarter of the 20th century, the surface area covered by vineyards dropped to 93 hectares, and by the time the Association was formed, it had shrunk even further to just 5 hectares. Furthermore, the plantations were scattered throughout the region and the varieties of grape used were not always the most appropriate for making Txakoli. There were no common criteria for the wine-making process, and each producer employed his or her own specific methods and equipment, which gave widely varying results that were totally unjustifiable from a technical point of view.
The Alavan Association of Txakoli Producers – Arabako Txakolina Elkartea was founded with the aim of improving this situation by setting three fundamental objectives: to increase the surface area dedicated to vineyards, to unify production and wine-making criteria and to obtain a natural product of extremely high quality. In 1989, the first collaboration agreement was signed between the Association and the Álava Provincial Government, with the aim of fostering this global initiative to recover and revitalise Txakoli making in the Ayala region, to improve the quality of the product and to promote its consumption.
Soon after, many old plantations were replanted and new ones created, using the Hondarribi Zuri grape variety, which is thought to be the best variety for Txakoli, thanks to its organoleptic qualities and its ability to adapt to the environmental conditions of the area.
At the same time, growing techniques were improved, trellises were introduced to support the vines, more suitable plantation frameworks and phytosanitary treatments were implemented and a systematic method established to monitor maturing processes.
On the other hand, in relation to the Txakoli making process itself, thanks to the gradual introduction of all the equipment necessary for a wine cellar (pneumatic presses, stainless steel vats, cooling equipment and amicrobic filtering equipment, etc.), the oenological techniques required for obtaining a high quality product in optimum conditions for consumption could finally be ensured.
Since 1996, 99.8% of all Txakoli produced in the region has been made at the ‘El Salvador’ wine cellar in Amurrio. All batches are commercialised together, under the same name, Xarmant, with the aim of improving promotion.
The results could not be more encouraging: during the 1998-99 season, nearly 50,000 litres of Txakoli were produced from the 20 hectares of plantations existing at that time in the region. During the 1990-2000 season, the growth of the vines meant that production increased significantly, giving a total of 80,000 litres. The following year (2000-01), production reached 120,000 litres, and the surface area dedicated to vineyards grew to 50 hectares. During the 2001-02 season, a total of 208,000 kg of grapes were harvested from 55 hectares of vineyard, giving a total production figure of 150,165 litres. Although the surface area covered by vineyards did not increase during the 2002-03 season, the relative maturity of existing plantations meant that a total of 225,000 kg of grapes were harvested.
The 2003-04 harvest has beaten these figures once again, with a total of 282,000 kg of grapes, of which 279,132 were sent to the wine cellar. The result was 197,000 litres of Álavan Txakoli, or in order words, 263,000 0.75 litre bottles, a 26% increase over 2002 as regards the kilograms of grapes harvested, and a 31.5% increase as regards the number of bottles produced. The average proof of the harvest was 11%. In keeping with this upward trend, during the 2004-05 season, 227,000 litres (315,000 bottles) of Txakoli have been produced and, if the results of previous years are anything to go by, all stocks will be completely sold out by the end of this year.
The Association currently has 42 members and aims to keep gradually increasing the surface area of its plantations in order to reach a production level of around half a million bottles. At the same time, it means to keep improving production techniques through the introduction of new environmentally-friendly technologies, such as in the case of Artomaña Txakolina, SL., the Designation of Origin’s principal grape supplier, which while maintaining its traditional growing methods, also has a modern frost protection system and has recently acquired a meteorological station to help control pests and plagues. For its part, the Arabako
Txakolina SL. wine cellar has set itself the objective of gaining the ISO 9001 Quality Management certificate (obtained in 2003) and the ISO 16000 Environmental certificate (currently pending final audits).
In 1998 the Arabako Txakolina – Txakoli of Álava Designation of Origin was presented provisionally and bound to the ‘Wines of the Region’ regulation, pending the creation of the definitive Designation of Origin which was finally approved by the Basque Government in May 2001. In August 2002, it was ratified by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture. Finally, the Arabako Txakolina – Txakoli of Álava Designation of Origin Control Board was presented to society on 15 January 2003, during a ceremony involving the Basque President Juan José Ibarretxe, the President of the Álava Provincial Government, Ramón Rabanera and various ministers from both the Basque Government and the Álava Provincial Government.
The Designation of Origin encompasses the geographical area of the Ayala region, which is made up by 5 municipalities: Aiara, Artziniega, Amurrio, Laudio and Okondo. This region is located in the northern part of Álava, whose Atlantic climate is perfectly suited to the selected indigenous varieties of grape, including the principal ones ‘Hondarribi Zuri’ and ‘Hondarribi Beltza’. Adequate hours of sunshine and moderate rainfall levels give the grape a proof of around 11%, providing it escapes the much feared spring frosts which threaten all plantations located at the foot of the Salvada Mountain Range.
(All historical data provided here were checked and compiled thanks to the invaluable collaboration of Mr Salvador Velilla Córdoba. Amurrio 2003)
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