Bodega Berroja is a family project located in the heart of the beautiful Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, in Muxika. In Berroja they work 24 hectares of their own vineyards, located at an average altitude of 200 meters above sea level. From the winery’s watchtower, where there is no shortage of binoculars, you can enjoy privileged views of the Biosphere Reserve. The owner and alma mater of this family project, José Ángel Carrero Arqueta, says that “it is a very privileged place.” They claim to be committed “to the search for new flavors that come from such a distinguished and particular enclave,” and add that they work on two fundamental milestones: “sustainability and uniqueness.” From Bodega Berroja they claim to be characterized “by respect for the natural environment that surrounds us, as well as for the wild fauna and flora, with which we try to coexist, using means of protection that respect them and maintain them in harmony with the production processes of the grape”.
They use livestock enclosures in all their plots, as well as aromatic repellents and, with this, “we let nature take its course, using competition between species, to balance the pressure of fauna on the vineyard.” They also respect native tree species, such as holly, holm oak, chestnut, oak, strawberry tree, ash or walnut tree that “form boundaries or points of botanical interest in the vineyard and its surroundings.” They affirm that their commitment to sustainability extends to all business activities carried out at Bodega Berroja.
They say they work with microoxygenations and minimizing sulfur, avoiding oxidation and also with “zero chemistry.” Their yeasts are commercial, although neutral. And the varieties they work with are hondarrabi zuri, riesling, hondarrabi belza and folle blanche planted on trellises with a double Guyot pruning system. They have 2,600 plants per hectare. José Ángel Carrero, a winemaker with a great personality, does not believe in Hondarrabi Zuri Zerratia, which has a long cycle, considering that climate change “does not favor it.” They work with integrated production systems “from the first moment”, practice green pruning and carry out nutrient control at the substrate level. Its plantations began in 1995 (with the first three hectares of the hondarrabi zuri variety around the farmhouse that José Ángel Carrero acquired in 1982). And their first vinification was in September 2001. Today they produce around 120,000 bottles annually, of which they export 8%, mainly to the United States, Japan, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. They have eight references on the market.
Berroja, the wine that is named after the place where they are located and the winery itself, is one of its most outstanding products. It is made with 80% of the Hondarrabi Zuri variety and 20% of Riesling, planted on trellises and harvested by hand. The two varieties are worked separately (using only the flower must). They destem and cold macerate the grapes. Draining and settling are carried out at 10ºC. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at 15ºC, and they are aged on fine lees for 12 months. In addition, they preserve the wine for another year in stainless steel tanks at a low temperature before aging for a further 12 months in the bottle. In fact, José Ángel Carrero has no doubt that “txakoli must be aged,” and he states categorically that “if you put it in wood you corrupt it.”
Berroja 2020 is straw colored, with some golden reflections. It exhibits a certain complexity on the nose with incipient hydrocarbon notes. It shows maturity, with notes of peach and nectarine, citrus, apple and dried fruits. It has a very good acidity (7.6 grams per liter of total tartaric acidity) and is fresh, but with a certain glyceric tactile sensation (evidencing the work done with the lees). It is long, tasty and with an interesting final mineral tip (salinity). It has 12º alcohol.
The winery recommends enjoying it with traditional dishes of cod in Biscayan sauce, snails or stews. José Ángel Carrero loves to pair it with oxtail “since the wine cleans your entire mouth of its gelatin,” with a large, greasy, fish-hooked txitxarro (chicharro or horse mackerel) and also with a good ham. At the same time, this txakoli is a good ally for a northern tuna or a belly in Bermeo olive oil. They recommend a serving temperature of 10 to 12º C., and uncorking the bottle about 15 minutes before consumption.
Bodegas Berroja is a project with a long wine tourism tradition that treasures the charm of being located in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. The heart of this natural area declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1984 is the Oka River, which rises on Mount Oiz and transforms into an estuary upon reaching Mundaka, creating marshes full of life and the presence of outstanding birdlife such as the osprey, spoonbill or bittern. Urdaibai is also watered by the Golako, together with the Ibaizabal, which make up what could be called the Flisch of the Bizkaia coast. It is the area with dominant sand over the classic limestone that makes up the rest of Bizkaia.
From the viewpoint of its winery you can see the most characteristic points of the Reserve: from the mouth of the Mundaka estuary and its beaches, as well as four of the five Bocineros mountains of Bizkaia (Oiz, Sollube, Gorbea and Ganekogorta). You can also see points of heritage interest such as Santimamiñe, the Castro de Arrola, Gernika, the Roman town of Forua or the borders of Bizkaia in Orduña and Sabigain (Urkiola).
Since 2021 they have adhered to the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism; an accreditation granted by the Europarc Federation. They assure that “the natural and cultural wealth that the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve gives us and allows us to interpret and explain to our visitors the cultural and gastronomic tradition that still prevails in the area, tasting seasonal and Km0 products, which pair with the txakolis that we make, as another part of the gastronomic and cultural tradition of Urdaibai.” And they also offer gastronomic proposals with select local products or meals for groups.
