Gaintza
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Country of Origin: Spain
Location: Getaria, Basque Country
People: Lazkano Family, Owners | Joseba Lazkano, Management | Urtzi Lazkano, Vineyards
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Guipuzcoa, in the Getaria subregion of the Spanish Basque country, is a surfer’s paradise. Long, rolling tubes and pristine beaches attract paddlers from all over the world to soak up the salt and sun, in search of the perfect ride. When they come ashore to refuel, very often they are pouring glasses of Txakolina, the refreshing effervescent indigenous wine of the Basque country. Bodega Gaintza is among the most popular, and with its vineyards situated on the bluffs overlooking the bay in Guipuzcoa, it is a wine that is unmistakably of this place. Gaintza, meaning “on top of,” refers to the aspect of the winery that was built in 1923 overlooking the bay in Guipuzcoa.
One of the founding producers of DO Getariako Txakolina in 1989, Gaintza is now run by 4th generation brothers Joseba and Urtzi Lazkanos. Most of the vineyards are at walking distance from the winery. The family grows 23 hectares, with 80% of them are pergola-trained. Only three plots lie on the other side of Mount Gárate, an area less exposed to the sea breeze. Their best land is 4 hectares of ungrafted vines, half of which are over a hundred years old.
The brothers are committed to sustainable viticulture (chemical products caused Urtzi to struggle with asthma) and would like to go organic. The region’s climate, combined with the fact that their plots are not isolated from those of other growers, make this move very challenging. In terms of winemaking, indigenous yeast are used unless they have to deal with difficult vintages. Fermentation takes place at low temperatures and all the wines are bottled at 0ºC in order to preserve the spritz.
Social Media
Instagram: @gaintza
Facebook: @Gaintza
Wine Advocate 8/6/2020
"Gaintza Txakolina is a traditional producer in Getaria that showcases the style of slightly fizzy Txakoli. They are especially environmentally conscious, going for integrated viticulture and using recycled and natural products when possible. It's a family winery in its third generation (it was created back in 1923!), and they only use grapes from their 23 hectares of coastal vineyards that have some young but also some centenary vines. They only have stainless steel, so all the wines are unoaked. I was greatly impressed by their wines, which I'd put among the best in the more traditional style."