Euskal Herria
The Basque Country is anything but unknown territory for the foodies among us. The area is a culinary paradise and has an incredible Michelin star density: no less than 40 stars in total. That is 1/3 of all the Michelin stars in the whole of Spain, packed together in the small Basque Country. 'Euskal Herria' has a lot to offer. There is a centuries-old cider culture, but wine has also been made there for a very long time. The vineyards are mainly located towards the coast and are generally highly industrialized. The local area of origin is the DO Txakoli and has 3 subregions: Arabako, Bizkaiko and Getariako. In the latter area, Getariako, we find Bengoetxe (='coming home'), the winery of Rosa Mari Urteaga & Iñaki Etxeberria.
Bengoetxe
The couple used to work in the dairy industry but decided to change course. In 2001, the first vines were planted and they now farm almost 4 hectares of vineyards, inland and completely organic. They have mainly planted the local Hondorabi Zuri, together with Hondorabi Zuri Zerratia and a small amount of Gros Manseng. What stands out are the sometimes steep plots, the soil of mainly clay, the organic approach (including no pesticides and chemicals!) and the final (typical) wine style.
The company only makes 2 different wines, one matures a little longer than the other, otherwise the same recipe: fermentation with indigenous yeasts, slow & cool fermentation, no bâttonage, maturation in the bottle and a natural CO2.
Meanwhile, the next generation is taking over. Eneko, Jon, and Maialen have all been trained and are increasingly determining the daily running of the domain.
