EUSKAL ARDOAREN UNIBERTSOA

MIKEL GARAIZABAL, winner of Gourmand 2003 Award

« Alavesa is one of the best areas in the world for growing grapes»

Goumard Saria ematen duen epai- and tasting instruction, yet opted to focus all of his mahaiak munduko lan didaktiko efforts on bringing the world of wine closer to the general public. onenaren aipamena eskeini zion iaz “Euskal Herriko ardoak” Mikel Garaizabal The book provides information on the different areas in ikerlariak egindako lanari. Eusko which quality Basque are produced, taking a close Jarlaritzako Nekazaritza eta Arrantza look at the local and enology. One of the Sailak bultzatutako lana da Elorrioko chapters provides tips on learning to taste wine. Also included in the book is a useful dictionary created by the enologo honek idatzi duena eta eskualde author, in collaboration with UZEI (the Basque bakoitzean ematen den produkzioa eta terminology agency), which includes terms in Euskara, ardo bakoitzaren desberdintasunak Spanish and French. xehetasun handiz azaltzen saiatzen da. Is an oenologist a kind of modern-day alchemist? The role oenologists play today in the Mikel Garaizabal’s bilingual book "Vinos de Euskal Herri process has very little to do with alchemy or magic. If the - Euskal Herriko Ardoak," written in Spanish and Basque raw material grapes lack quality then it’s impossible to and published by the Basque Department of Agriculture make a good wine. In as little as a decade the role of the and Fisheries, was selected by the Gourmand World oenologist has become extremely important. The job of Cookbook Awards as the World’s Best Educational Wine the oenologist used to be limited to the interior of the Book of 2003. The young oenologist from Elorrio is very after the grapes were harvested and hauled in. Mactive as a teacher at the Gamarra School of Tourism Nowadays, oenologists monitor every step and make a and Innkeeping, contributor to different types of media wide range of decisions, from what type of grape to be

8 CURRENT EVENTS Issue 65 Year 2004 A JOURNEY THROUGH THE OF EUSKADI

used, to soil composition, to change their beverage habits. A orientation.Today they cola-type drink can’t dazzle us are a key element involved in with something new; it’s no more sampling the grapes to check than a chemical formula. their maturity, then following However, there’s a long process the entire post-. behind a bottle of wine, a process Practically all of the that involves natural, geographic, in the Rioja Alavesa region climatic, human and chemical have either their own factors, coupled with tradition oenologist or an in-house and history. These aspects, plus consultant. everything that wine represents in terms of social relations and Put on your chauvinist hat events, is what we should be for a moment and sell us passing on to our younger the wines of Euskal Herria. generation. To start off, I’d recommend a , a that Red wines with meat, whites should be drunk the year it’s with fish? Do these time- made. It is dry and fresh with a honored conventions still touch of acidity and is delicious hold? as an aperitif or with a light They serve as a reference, but meal. , there are a lot of other factors, made in Bizkaia, Getariako such as the type of fish and how Txakolina from Gipuzkoa, and Txakoli de Araba all have it’s prepared. Monkfish has a completely different texture the Designation of Origin seal of approval.The best-known from hake, for example. And the different ways of txokoli wines on the international panorama are from cooking fish-baked, stewed in sauce, grilled or boiled-also Rioja Alavesa and have the Rioja Qualified Designation of come into play. Another thing to consider is the type of Origin classification. OK, here’s where the chauvinism white wine, whether it’s young or matured, aged in really kicks in. Owing to its location, climate, type of soils, and so on. The best suggestion is to try different wines situation and orientation of vineyards, the Rioja Alavesa and keep your mind open to new experiences. region is one of the best in the world for growing grapes. The red wines are fantastic.The most popular reds are the Do all wines get better with age? young wines produced by the traditional Rioja Alavesa No, that’s an erroneous myth. In fact, relatively few wines method and the mature red wines aged in oak and bottle. age well.Txakoli, for example, has to be drunk as soon as Some of our municipalities are also producing excellent possible, as do young red wines. Matured wines can cavas, or sparkling wines, and are registered as improve for about five or six years, and if kept properly Designation of Origin for : Oion, Laguardia and these can be excellent wines. But any longer than that Moreda de Araba in Alava, and Mendavia and Viana in and it’s hard to retain quality and freshness. Storing wine Navarra. If we include Iparralde in the French Basque under perfect conditions is not an easy task. Country, the red and white wines from Irulegi are full- bodied, limited production treasures, the perfect What are perfect conditions? accompaniment for meat and game. In recent years The most important thing is for the bottles to be kept at a Navarra, known for its rosés, has constant temperature all year long, begun to produce quality wines, with between 12 and 14 degrees Celsius some of its reds now being exported «Oso ardo gutxik dute (around 53-57ºF), with a relative to other countries in Europe. humidity of 70 to 75%.They should ondo zahartzeko be stored in a horizontal position so The Basque wine map seems that the wine is in contact with the pretty complete. But is there ahalmena. Txakolinak eta cork and no oxygen comes in enough promotion of the contact with the wine. The bottles industry beyond our borders? ardo gazteak lehenbait should not be stored with strong- We need to do a better job of smelling products like onions, gas, promoting our wines, especially lehen edan behar dira. solvents and so on, and vibrations when it comes to younger adults, ‘Zenbat eta zaharrago, from washing machines or elevators which is where our future lies. We should be avoided completely. need to find ways of introducing ardo hobea’ ideia mitoa Sunlight and ultraviolet rays are them to the wine culture and trying also the enemies of wine. to educate people’s palates to besterik ez da.»

Issue 65 Year 2004 GAURKO GAIAK 9