Brand: Talai Berri
Winery: Bodega Talai Berri
Vintage: 2008
Varietal: 90% Hondarribi Zuri, 10% Hondarribi Beltza
Winemaking: Cold pre-fermentation extracts/ retains the aromas, fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel with tanks mainly closed in order to receive product with just a bit of CO2 left in the wine. This just slightly sparkling white wine is kept in the tanks until the last minute before bottling, no wine is bottled and kept in storage without being ordered. Bottling at 2° degrees Celsius to retain freshness of the Txakoli.
Average Price: € 9
Tasting Notes: It is a young, slightly sparkling wine with a moderate graduation (10.5º – 11.5º) with a very characteristic acid touch. Bright yellow-green color with an expressive fine bubble. It has very complex bouquet with aromas of white peach and pear, in the background mineral hints. Dry and very very refreshing
Food Pairing Suggestions: I had some “bonito del norte” (white tuna) with white bread and olive oil with the wine when I visited the winery and it was sublime! Als try grilled white fish.
General rating: 3 tastevins
Categories: weekly drinking, authentic, Adventurer´s choice(!!)
Winery notes: Winery production capacity was set before construction (in 1992) at hundred thousand liters per year: the purpose was achieving a quality production, not a massive production. Talai Berri features all the singularities of a familiar winery. Three members of the family work in Talai Berri. One of them has business studies, the other two are Oenologists. There are also an agricultural technician and two workers hired for viticulture work.It began with a modest production (25.000 bottles), both because it was a new winery and because it was decided to use only vineyards able to guarantee the quality intended for the winery. Last year ´s production reached the 90.000 bottles mark. So, the complete production capacity set in 1992 is nearly to be achieved. Meanwhile, new vineyards have been settled in other property parts surrounding the winery: Now, there are some vineyards in full exploitation and some in their first or second year after being planted. When the entire plantation is in full production, it will be possible to fill all the deposits using only Talai Berri grapes. Traditionally, vineyards were settled facing the sea and following the Spanish grapevine system, taking for granted that that orientation and system where the most suitable. However, it was not taken into account that solar irradiation in the Basque Country was lower than in other traditional wine-production areas in Spain, and the rain was higher than the Spanish average. This is why the vineyard was redesigned to face south, implementing the high trellis system. Now more than ever, the characteristic indigenous types of grape for making the Txakoli wine have been maintained: the Hondarribi Zuri and the Hondarribi Beltza are two grape varieties which fully adapt themselves to land and climate of the area.