(The picture on the left is a Tapas bar in San Sebastian, Spain)Just when I thought I was cool, I sold a bottle of 2009 Txomin Extaniz Hondorabbi Zuri Txacoli, Getaria, Euskal Herria, Spain at Mundaka Restaurant in Carmel, Ca. This Basque country aperitif is obscure, which is just part of what makes it so cool. It ranges from 9.5-11% alcohol, is meant to be drunk young and has a dry- effervescent citrus quality like that of Muscadet.
Since this wine is to be poured from mid air, it makes for an easy sale, or a tough one--provided you're the person that has to pour it without splashing on customers. When I poured it, I splashed a little, but failed to get the bottle high enough like my amigos in San Sebastian, Spain (I visited there in 2008).
So, to minimize my frustration, Gabe Georis, Mundaka owner, pulled me to the side to show me better techniques, "Dude, nowadays they have plastic tops that make it easy." He continued with, "Let me show you the real way, the way they've been doing it for centuries."
So he pulled out a knife and began cutting the cork (see the picture on left). The new creation allows you to pour high above the glass in a single stream as the wine aerates and splashing is minimized. Basically, the cork becomes your pouring device--air gets in and something magical happens. When Georis finished, a veteran server, added, "Yeah. And if you swirl the bottle around in a counter-clockwise fashion just before pouring, the centrifugal force will work to your advantage, the wine will stick to the sides of the bottle and make it even easier."
The grape type Hondorabbi Zuri is obscure and good. The region the wine came from is on the Spanish-French border, but they speak their owne Basque language. That's cool.
The couple who ordered the wine enjoyed it with Pintxos, small bites that are spiked with a toothpick and meant to inspire conversation. I don't think they've had and experience like this before, and I don't think I've ever served anything so complex. I've served 1929 Petrus and 1922 Pol Roger Champagne, but nothing this cool.
So what if I didn't pour the wine perfectly? It's a tapas bar and casual is cool.
Over there, customers toss their used napkins on the ground to keep things down-to-earth.
