Txacoli: the Basque invasion

Something weird was going on last night at Rootstock. The owners—Jamie McLennan, Tonya Pyatt and Johnny Hap—put 65 wines by the bottle and 18 wines by the glass on the menu, each lovingly and helpfully described, yet every table around us was drinking the same thing: Ameztoi Txacoli (pronounced choc-o-lee, $8/glass, $34/bottle). McLennan was making the rounds pouring the spritzy dry white from a bottle fitted with a pouring spout from a foot above tumblers.

It's not that txakoli was previously under the radar—but a whole (busy) Chicago bar guzzling down a Basque wine? Somehow, I don't think Eat Out editor Heather Shouse's recommendation of a bottle of Ameztoi Rubentis—the rosé take on txacoli, from the same producer (which you can drink for $36/bottle at Webster's Wine Bar, if you're so inclined)—a few weeks back in our Alfresco issue could have had even this widespread an impact.

As if unescapable, that same bottle of txacoli showed up (well, a description of it, anyway) in my in-box this morning. Each Friday, Craig Perman of Perman Wine Selections sends out the description of that's week's sampler of six wines for $60 (which David Tamarkin wrote about last year), which today includes the 2007 Ameztoi Txacoli. This bottle's available only as part of the sampler, which you can get by calling or e-mailing Perman.

Two's a coincidence, but three's a trend, and the buzz around txacoli seems well-timed with the opening of the long-awaited Basque restaurant Eivissa, where, you guessed it, the wine list includes a 2007 Arabako Txacolina ($45/bottle). Cheers!