At nearly every bar and restaurant in the Basque Country, they’re pouring Txakoli. This ubiquitous, fresh, sometimes spritzy wine is the Spanish equivalent of Muscadet or Vinho Verde. It’s light and refreshing, but generally unexciting - with one major exception. While almost all Txakoli is industrially produced, Doniene Gorrondona does things very differently. By focusing on single vineyard sites and artisanal winemaking, they craft brilliant wines of depth and interest, without sacrificing any of Txakoli’s signature energy. They are the most exciting producer in the region.
Doniene Gorrondona is based in a 19th century farmhouse in the coastal town of Baiko. Itziar Insausti moved here in 1994, and still runs the winery alongside her business partner Julen and brother Egoitz. The focus has always been on the vineyards, which form a natural amphitheatre overlooking the Bay of Biscay. Many hours of painstaking work has gone into restoring and replanting them, and they are farmed with great care, without chemicals. Each plot has distinctive soils, and is managed, harvested and vinified (with wild yeasts) separately.
The finished wines are beacons of quality for the region. The entry-level Txakoli, a blend of local varieties, is the best we’ve tasted. The more ambitious wines showcase the local Hondarrabi Zuri grape alone. ‘Doniene’ is a beautifully balanced blend from selected plots, while ‘IRI’ is a single vineyard wine made without sulphur. They all deliver the freshness you want from Txakoli, but with a depth and intensity that you just don’t find elsewhere.
