Txakolina – There is only one producer ion Arabako today producing any real quantities. This winery, whose name is the same as the denomination, Arabako Txakolina (also known as Xarmant), was founded in 1989. Twelve growers decided to pool their resources and establish the denomination. They named the wine they created Xarmant – “charming” in French, and a fitting reflection of its nature.
Grapes are harvested separately, based on ripeness, and the must is extracted using a pneumatic press. After a brief cold maceration, each grape variety ferments separately in stainless steel tanks at low temperatures, utilizing native yeasts. The wine then ages on the lees for two months with some batonnage for selected tanks. The wine is then blended and stored at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks for stabilization until bottling. Per the style in Álava, Xarmant is bottled with less naturally occurring residual carbon dioxide than txakoli from other regions, like Getaria.
- Txakoli
- also available in 375ml cans