Bodegas Itxas Harri Navarra Garnacha Ŕoxa

Itxas Harri, located in the village of Monteagudo in the northern Basque region of Navarra, was the dream of Ignacio Ameztoi and his long-time friend and winemaking partner, Iñaki Guelbenzu. Navarra is considered the garden of Spain for its top quality produce such as asparagus, piquillo peppers, artichokes, and sheep milk cheeses like Roncal and Idiazábal as well as the Txistorra sausage. Inspiration for Itxas Harri grew over the years with Iñaki (who is from Navarra) and Ignacio repeatedly visiting the area, searching out the best local ingredients. Iñaki is a Basque gastronome with an encyclopedic knowledge of the region, and their frequent dining trips grew into an intense appreciation for the quality of the local ingredients, which are legendary in northern Spain.

Exceptional, uncomplicated ingredients and their ability to elevate the dining experience when paired, was the inspiration for Itxas Harri. They seek to bring the rich Basque food and wine experience to the home pantry through accessibility and an unpretentious presentation of their regional wines. Itxas Harri, which roughly translates to “sea stone,” are Basque table wines made by two friends, honoring the food memories and relationships made at the communal table.

Inspired by the ability of wines from Navarra to pair well with vegetables and fish, they learned from older farmers in the area where the best plots could be found, with the goal of making delicate, expressive wines to compliment hard-to-pair vegetables, like the local artichoke. Finally, he was able to convince a retiring farmer to sell him 2ha of old vines in the right location.