Urkizahar Txakoli winery, a paradise in the heart of Gipuzkoa.

Discover the potential of Urkizahar, a young Txakoli winery with a dazzling future.

On our trip through the Urola region of Gipuzkoa, we decided to make a strategic stop to visit a very special winery, the Urkizahar winery. The curiosity of knowing the highest Txakoli winery (between 350 and 450 meters of altitude) took us this time to Beizama, a small town where the baserris (Basque farmhouses), stand majestically among huge plots of green fields. As we made our way from Azpeitia to Beizama, we became more aware that the winery was located in a remote, hidden place, a place that does not appear in the guidebooks, a paradise yet to be discovered.

Baserri Urkizahar

A sign indicates the location of the winery, a narrow road leads us to the baserri that gives its name to the winery, Urkizahar. Upon arrival, Luis Jabier Oregi (hereinafter Luisja), our host, welcomed us at the door of the family house, a baserri, renovated respecting its old structure.

Urkizahar Winery Poster

We started the visit with a tour of the vineyards and ended with an elegant hamaiketako (literally, the eleven o’clock, a typical Basque lunch) in a familiar and close atmosphere. Don’t miss our impressions, stay tuned!

Environment.

The environment is the first thing that surprises us when we arrive at our destination. We find the Urkizahar winery on a hill, as if it were a viewpoint over the Ibai-eder reservoir.

Green pastures, baserriz scattered on the slopes and lush forests brighten our view. An environment full of life and strength that helps the product to gain in quality, and as Luisja says, the essence of Txakoli originates in the vineyard, not in the winery.

Botella Urkizahar next to the family baserri

Through this project Luisja and his family intend to revive rural agriculture in Gipuzkoa, a high quality product able to shoot Beizama in the agendas of all those who want to discover the authentic Basque Country.

Urkizahar Terrace

Wine cellar.

Until almost 2016, the Hondarrabi Zuri grapes grown in the Urkizahar plots were processed in an external winery. A fact that, with the construction of the winery at the beginning of 2016, became history. Currently, the small winery, gives shape to the dream Urkizahar, a space where you can discover the process of making Txakoli and have a good drink enjoying the surroundings.

Urkizahar Logo

Product.

From our point of view, Txakoli Urkizahar is characterized by its fruity smell and taste, different from the rest we have tasted so far, smooth and easy to drink, but let the connoisseurs speak:

Urkizahar Cup

A product that likes, and a lot, and if not time to time. We are lucky, we have taken home 6 bottles of Urkizahar and you?

Attention.

Luisja’s voice and gestures reflected the passion and enthusiasm for the way of life that he and his family had decided to follow, a life dedicated to the land, the life of the baserritarra. All the members of the family welcomed us with open arms, all of them, contributed their little grain of sand, everything adds up. We take this opportunity to thank Luisja and his family for the sincere and close treatment they offered us at all times, it is much appreciated, eskerrik asko family.

Baserri Urkizahar

Price.

9€, cheap. Organic Txakoli at 9€ a bottle? We are crazy. To the experts we do not need to say more, to those who lack the knowledge, we must emphasize that we are not in La Rioja, we are not in Castilla La Mancha, Txakoli is born in the vines that sprout on the slopes of our mountains, the farms are small, with a brutal slope and a special climate, Txakoli is different, or else ask the hundreds of thousands of Americans who buy the bottles that are exported because we do not know how to appreciate our own product.

Urkizahar Bottle

Ecological.

Biological, organic, ecological, natural at the end of the day, without additives. No fertilizers, no chemicals, no pesticides, no genetically modified or transgenic organisms, no bullshit (pardon the expression, but my body is asking for it).

Hondarrabi zuri vine

TurismoVasco Tiketa.

The Txakoli, the environment, the family and the price, are 4 reasons more than enough to argue that our exclusive “TurismoVasco Tiketa” accreditation should go to this winery.

Tourism AccreditationVasco Tiketa

The beauty of the surroundings and its natural wealth caught us upon arrival, its wines and its familiar warmth tucked us in during the visit and the knowledge that we would return in the not too distant future helped us to start our departure without looking back. We will be back.