Itxas Harri Roxa 2021
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Itxas Harri, located in the village of Monteagudo in the northern Basque region of Navarra, was the dream of Ignacio Ameztoy and his long-time friend and winemaking partner, Iñaki Guelbenzu. Navarra is considered the garden of Spain for its top quality produce such as asparagus, piquillo peppers, artichokes, and sheep milk cheeses like Roncal and Idiazábal as well as the Txistorra sausage. Inspiration for Itxas Harri grew over the years with Iñaki (who is from Navarra) and Ignacio repeatedly visiting the area, searching out the best local ingredients. Iñaki is a Basque gastronome with an encyclopedic knowledge of the region, and their frequent dining trips grew into an intense appreciation for the quality of the local ingredients, which are legendary in northern Spain.
Exceptional, uncomplicated ingredients and their ability to elevate the dining experience when paired, was the inspiration for Itxas Harri. They seek to bring the rich Basque food and wine experience to the home pantry through accessibility and an unpretentious presentation of their regional wines. Itxas Harri, which roughly translates to “sea stone,” are Basque table wines made by two friends, honoring the food memories and relationships made at the communal table.
Inspired by the ability of wines from Navarra to pair well with vegetables and fish, they learned from older farmers in the area where the best plots could be found, with the goal of making delicate, expressive wines to compliment hard-to-pair vegetables, like the local artichoke. Finally, he was able to convince a retiring farmer to sell him 2ha of old vines in the right location.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
Just north of Spain’s famous Rioja region, Navarra excels in the production of full and fruit-dominant reds and good quality, dry rosés. Garnacha holds most of the land under vine, with Tempranillo coming in second place.