With its rise in popularity, I had a listener, Sheila, reach out to me wanting to learn more about Txakoli!

I didn’t know a lot about Txakoli until I started researching this episode and what surprised me most was that Txakoli is not a grape! It’s actually a style of wine, usually referring to dry white wine from the Basque Country of Spain. It’s known for being slightly sparkling, fruity, and refreshing.

In today’s episode, we will dive into the historical significance of Txakoli, as well as the winemaking techniques that bring out its acidity, refreshing fruity flavors, and slight effervescence which is perfect for pairing with a variety of foods. I’ll touch on the grape varieties, primarily the Hondarrabi Zuri for whites and Hondarrabi Beltza for reds, and how these grapes contribute to the overall experience of Txakoli.

So, if you are ready to dive into the world of Txakoli and discover what makes this wine so special press play and listen in!

Recommended Wine producers:

Txomin Etxaniz (Getariako Txakolina)

Rezabal (Getariako Txakolina)

Doniene Gorrondona (Bizkaiko Txakolina)

Malkoa (Arabako Txakolina)

Bodega Elizalde (Bizkaiko Txakolina)

Episode Highlights:

• Is Txakoli a grape or a wine?

• Where is Basque Country in Spain?

• Primary grapes Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarribi Beltza

• Different regions of Txakoli - Getariako Txakolina, Bizkaiko Txakolina, and Arabako Txakolina

• Styles of Txakoli wine

• Tasting notes of Txakoli wine

• Recommended producers for Txakoli wine

• What foods pair well with Txakoli

What did you think of the episode? Text me!

Don't Forget to Download my Free Wine Tasting Guide! - https://www.corkandfizz.com/free-wine-tasting-guide

Have you Joined the Cork Crew?!

The Cork Crew Tasting Club is a community of people that enjoy drinking and learning about wine. It's like a book club...but with wine! Each month I’ll select two styles of wine for us to focus on. We’ll then have a virtual tasting party to explore those wines along with a community event to learn from professionals in the wine community.

Click the link below to get a FREE pass to attend a Cork Crew event of your choosing!

https://www.corkandfizz.com/freeclasspass

Connect with me:
Cork and Fizz - https://www.corkandfizz.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/corkandfizz/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/corkandfizz/
Email - hailey@corkandfizz.com

Are you ready to go beyond wine from Spain, France, and the United States?

Dale Ott, sommelier turned importer of Mexican and Portuguese wines, is back on the podcast and she is giving us a deep dive into Mexican and Portuguese wines.

Dale is diving into the often overlooked but incredibly fascinating worlds of Mexican and Portuguese wines. She shares how Portuguese wines are reviving ancient winemaking traditions and how regions like Northern Baja and Valle de Parras are overcoming infrastructural challenges to produce exquisite, sustainably-grown wines.

And Dales shares one of her go to producers in Mexico - JC Bravo, where they dry-farm grapes and are making waves with their sustainable practice and exquisite wines.

So, if you are ready to jump into these lesser known wine regions from Portugal and Mexico and discover ancient traditions, complex flavors, and hidden treasures from regions that are capturing international attention, then this episode is for you!

If you missed part 1 of my conversation with Dale, go back to episode 84 where we talk about the intricacies of importing Mexican and Portuguese wines, the dynamic factors impacting wine prices, the detailed journey from vineyard to your table, and the passionate efforts behind NOSSA imports.

Episode Highlights:

• Portuguese wine regions and characteristics

• Quality and affordability of Portuguese wines

• Vino Verde’s acidity and age-improvement potential

• History of Mexican wine

• Varieties of Mexican wine

• Modern growth and experimentation in the Mexican wine industry

• Industry challenges and infrastructure in Mexico

• Future concerns for Mexican wine

• JC Bravo - dry-farmed grapes and native yeast fermentation

• JJ Amargito - Biodynamic and organic production

What did you think of the episode? Text me!

Don't Forget to Download my Free Wine Tasting Guide! - https://www.corkandfizz.com/free-wine-tasting-guide

Have you Joined the Cork Crew?!

The Cork Crew Tasting Club is a community of people that enjoy drinking and learning about wine. It's like a book club...but with wine! Each month I’ll select two styles of wine for us to focus on. We’ll then have a virtual tasting party to explore those wines along with a community event to learn from professionals in the wine community.

Click the link below to get a FREE pass to attend a Cork Crew event of your choosing!

https://www.corkandfizz.com/freeclasspass

Connect with me:
Cork and Fizz - https://www.corkandfizz.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/corkandfizz/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/corkandfizz/
Email - hailey@corkandfizz.com

Ever wondered what it takes to bring unique Mexican and Portuguese wines to your local shelves?

Today’s guest, Dale Ott, is giving us a behind the scenes look at what it takes to import wine into the US. We talk about why she chose to import wines from Mexico and Portugal, as well as her meticulous selection process for importing wines - hint it’s all about building strong, trust-based relationships with producers. She places an emphasis on low-intervention wines that genuinely represent their regional lineage.

She also dives into challenges faced by smaller wine producers and importers, like the exorbitant margins taken by distributors and the large increase in shipping costs, all of which contribute to higher consumer costs.

Dale Ott is a sommelier-turned-importer who specializes in Mexican and Portuguese wine. Dale and her husband, Stephone Ott, are the owners of NOSSA imports. They have over 30 years of experience on all three tiers of the alcohol industry and are excited to shed light upon historically-relevant wine regions around the world that are making high quality wines deserving of international visibility.

So, if you are ready to learn about the intricacies of importing Mexican and Portuguese wines, the dynamic factors impacting wine prices, the detailed journey from vineyard to your table, and the passionate efforts behind NOSSA imports, then this episode is for you.

Connect with Dale:

Shop - https://nossa-imports.myshopify.com

Instagram - @nossaimports

Episode Highlights:

• NOSSA Imports and Dale’s journey

• Various global and local factors that influence wine prices

• Why Dale imports Mexican wine and Portuguese wine

• Less-known wine histories of Mexican wine and Portuguese wine

• Dale’s selection process for importing wines

• Dale’s preference in wine distributors and who she refuses to work with

• Challenges in the market when it comes to imported wines

• Impact of the high margins taken by distributors in the US

• Impact on wine costs due

What did you think of the episode? Text me!

Don't Forget to Download my Free Wine Tasting Guide! - https://www.corkandfizz.com/free-wine-tasting-guide

Have you Joined the Cork Crew?!

The Cork Crew Tasting Club is a community of people that enjoy drinking and learning about wine. It's like a book club...but with wine! Each month I’ll select two styles of wine for us to focus on. We’ll then have a virtual tasting party to explore those wines along with a community event to learn from professionals in the wine community.

Click the link below to get a FREE pass to attend a Cork Crew event of your choosing!

https://www.corkandfizz.com/freeclasspass

Connect with me:
Cork and Fizz - https://www.corkandfizz.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/corkandfizz/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/corkandfizz/
Email - hailey@corkandfizz.com