Bat Gara Aromas del Sur Hondarrabi Zuri 2021 75 cl.

Aromas del Sur (“Aromas of the South”) is a white wine made from 100% Hondarrabi Zuri from vineyards in the Ayala Valley near Lezama, at an altitude of 340-400 m.a.s.l. The subsoil consists of clay, calcareous clay and crumbling sandstone. The vineyards are cultivated according to the “integrated agriculture” principle, with minimal intervention. The grapes are harvested manually, usually from mid to late October, at an optimal balance between sugar and acid. They are transported to the cellar in small boxes of 15 kg each. to avoid mashing and oxidation.

It is the “typicality” and elegance that are prioritized during the vinification, and therefore a gentle pressing with small, vertical presses is used, a spontaneous fermentation with the grapes’ own yeast cells in barrels of 300 l., made of cherry wood. The wine is then matured “sur lie” for 10 months in the same casks. Bottling is done after natural sedimentation.

Aromas del Sur has a glossy, light, golden color. The fragrance offers a nice harmony between the dry, citrusy notes and the more exotic nuances of freshly picked nuts, cherry stones and tropical fruits. The taste is incredibly complex, with both strength and crispness as well as very endearing exotic tones of cherry wood, walnuts and citrus fruits (grape, pomeranus). The wine ends with good fatness and minerality, but also freshness and nerve.

Try it with grilled fish, with shellfish and with oysters “nature” as well as tasty red mold cheeses.

Bodega BAT GARA is located approx. 25 km. south of Bilbao, near the village of Lezama between the Sierra Salvada mountains and the Gorbea Natural Park, – in the middle of the DO Arabako Txakolina (Txakoli de Álava). The winery was founded by restaurateur and viticulturist Jose Cruz Guinea and farmer and viticulturist Txema Gotxi, who thus united their forces and shared passion for the magnificent wines of Arabako Txakolina and the local grape variety, Hondarrabi Zuri.

Today, the property consists of two single fields, which are divided into smaller plots: Urtaran of 4 ha. and Arrugalde on 2 ha. The fields are planted with the varieties Hondarrabi Zuri and the variety Hondarrabi Zuri Zerratia, but a little Riesling is also grown, which also gives excellent results in the district. For the vines, a single Guyot binding has been chosen, which provides good sun exposure but also air around the grapes, which i.a. provides good cooling. The subsoil is mainly clayey and gives the grapes a natural acidity that gives fresh and crisp wines with good grape “typicality”.

The yield never exceeds approx. 42 hl./ha. It is the “typicality” and elegance that are prioritized during vinification, and therefore a gentle pressing is carried out as well as a spontaneous fermentation with the grapes’ own yeast cells, followed by a stay “sur lie” in min. 5 months. The wines from Bodega BAT GARA are considered among the elite in Arabako Txakolina