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Berroia

Berroia

Berroia is an estate-bottled wine made by Bodegas Berroja in the Txakoli de Bizcaia DO. Txakoli wines have a slightly “spritzy” effervescent character similar to vinho verdes from Portugal but whereas the latter are light wines with fresh, clean flavors and bright acidity, Txakolis have more complex aromas and depth of flavor on the palate along with a firm minerality that is their signature. The name Berroia refers to the area where the estate vineyards are located. Three Spanish DO regions in Spain produce Txakoli wines in the Basque country: Txakoli de Guetaria, Txakoli de Bizcaia and Txakoli de Alava. There are two Txakoli styles: a cider style and a still wine style. Both styles are made with the Hondarribi grape but one is more cider-like than the other. The still wine style shows the vibrancy and depth of the Hondarribi grape. The cider style has a life span of about 6 months while the still wine style develops for about 14-16 months. Berroia is made in the still wine style.

What makes this wine unique?

Low alcohol full-bodied Txakoli. Nervy and electric in character. Stainless steel fermentation; estate-owned fruit; aged for more than 12 months. Great Value! It pairs extremely well with oysters, grilled seafood, asparagus, anchovies and artichokes. This Txakoli can also age.

Rating history:

2010 90IWC; 2009 90RP; 2008 90RP; 2007 90RP; 2006 90IWC; 2005 90RP

Grape:

90% Hondarribi Zuri, 6% Folle Blanche and 4% Riesling. The vines are 13 years old, trained on trellises, and a cover crop is planted between the rows.

Pairing Suggestions:

Aside from pairing extremely well with oysters, grilled seafood, asparagus, anchovies and artichokes, this squeaky clean wine is a great foil to Indian curries, Thai and Vietnamese dishes and Chinese dim sum with a little heat.

Vinification and ageing:

After the grapes are harvested during early morning hours in small boxes, the best clusters are selected and are macerated at 50°F for 48 hours. Extended fermentation is carried out at cool temperature (64°F) for 25 days to extract the richness of aroma and palate flavor contained in the lees. The wine is aged in stainless steel tank to retain its crisp fruit character.

Production:

1,500 cases are produced; 700 for the U.S.

Location, Soil, Climate:

Located within the Chacolí de Bizkaia/Bizkaiko Txakolina DO (Zone 3) by Spain’s Bay of Biscay, and 20 miles east of Bilbao, the vineyards are outside the town of Muxika, at 200 meters (656 ft.) elevation. The vineyards are quite steep at a 12% slope and the soils drain rather well while giving the vines very good exposure to the sunlight. The soils are composed of limestone on the surface with sandy subsoil, both good types in retaining heat, containing low-to-medium levels of organic matter. The climate here is northern Atlantic; with an average temperature from April-October of 59.6ºF. Yearly rainfall is 59.8 inches, clearly one of the wettest regions in Spain. The disconcertingly cold nights and high levels of rainfall are conditions that don’t allow most other grape varieties to flourish. Interestingly, the main grape in the Basque Country, the Hondarribi (Zuri for white wines and Beltza for reds) thrives here and will not grow anywhere else.

Tasting notes:

Berroia, made in near ideal vintage, displays a lovely perfume of mineral, sea salt, lime, and spring flowers. Crisp, vibrant, and focused, it has excellent length and a refreshing, neat finish.

Alcohol Content:

12.0%

UPC Code:

8437008409672