# Lasalde Elkartea Balea Getariako Txakolina Rosé (2025)

- **Producer:** Lasalde Elkartea
- **Colour:** rosé
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Hondarrabi Zuri, Hondarrabi Beltza
- **Region:** País Vasco, Spain
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 11.0%
- **Average price:** €22
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 6–8 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant, lemon, lime

## About this wine

Lasalde Elkartea is located in the coastal town of Getaria in northern Spain's Basque Country, formed through the historic union of two ancestral farmsteads, Akarregi Txiki and Lasalde. Perched on steep coastal slopes directly overlooking the Bay of Biscay, the 17-hectare estate benefited from being one of the original ten founding growers who established the official DOP Getariako Txakolina in 1990. The estate is today directed by mother-and-son team Lurdes Zubizarreta and Iker Eizmendi. The cuvée name 'Balea' is the Basque word for whale, paying homage to Getaria's rich seafaring and whaling history.

## Interesting facts

- Balea is the Basque word for whale, honoring Getaria's historic seafaring and whaling heritage.
- Lasalde Elkartea was one of ten founding growers who established the Getariako Txakolina DOP in 1990.
- Vineyard cover crops are naturally maintained by an estate flock of sheep on steep coastal slopes.

## Food pairing

The electric acidity, low alcohol, and pronounced maritime salinity of this Txakoli rosé slice effortlessly through rich oily seafood and fried bites while echoing coastal flavors. Salty conservas, shellfish, and citrus-dressed seafood dishes accentuate the wine's vibrant red berry tones and clean mineral spine without overpowering its delicate light body.

## Wine making process

The grapes are organically farmed on steep trellised slopes cooled by Atlantic ocean winds and harvested by hand. In the winery, the grapes undergo cool fermentation using native yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The wine is aged on its fine lees in stainless steel for three to five months without any oak maturation or racking. By keeping the wine unracked during lees contact, dissolved carbon dioxide naturally produced during fermentation remains trapped inside the liquid, providing its characteristic subtle effervescence upon bottling.