Bodegas Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina 'Rubentis' Rosé 2025

It's the summer of Txakoli!!! The Ameztoi family has been making it since 1820 (Ignacio is the seventh generation!) and their winery sits on a hill overlooking the Cantabrian Sea. The view is ridiculous. Go look at their website.

This is Rubentis, the region's first rosé, inspired by the claret-style wines they made here long before pink wine was a trend. A field blend of Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza, the white and red grapes that have grown together in these Basque hills for centuries. In the 2000s, when everyone else gave up on the red vines, the Ameztoi family held on (good thing they did!) The backbone of this wine comes from a vineyard planted in 1840. And that's not a typo.

The white and red grapes are worked together, direct pressed, fermented with indigenous yeast at low temp, then the tanks are closed to preserve the natural carbonation. No force-carbonation, no shortcuts. Just the wine, doing its thing.

It tastes like strawberries and sea salt, a little citrus zest, a little something creamy from six months on the lees. The spritz is natural, just leftover fermentation. It's salty and bright and the kind of wine that makes you want to sit on a patio and forget about everything else.

Drink it cold, with friends, with seafood, with nothing at all. You don't need an excuse. That's the whole point.