TxakoliFest is to Six Plates what St. Patrick’s Day is to ye olde Irish Pub, Oktoberfest to Germany, and the Superbowl to the NFL. It is hands down the biggest day of the year for our crew, our regulars, and all the bottles of Txakoli we can get our hands on.

You may choose to be apart of one of our early sessions or the general admission. We’ll be selling 100 tickets for $12 in advance for entry into the festival from 1-4pm and 125 tickets for a second session from 4-7pm. The first session will end at 4pm and you will be asked o clear out. I you have attended Txakolifest in the past you know that it can be a bit crazy. If you are looking for an opportunity to listen to music and drink and eat in a laid back atmosphere this is your best opportunity. For the price of admission you get an complimentary cider glass, to use and keep, as well as live music. The late afternoon session will be allowed to stay as late as they want as everything becomes general admission after 7pm. After 7pm it’s general admission for $12 per person, glass included. Tickets go on sale June 21st. We will almost certainly sell out of the advance tickets. You can but tickets at Six Plates for cash or credit or at Wine Authorities with cash only.

Sponsored by Lucas Gambit Productions, Kompleks Creative, Wine Authorities, DeMaison Selections, and Haw River Wine Man.

What is Txakoli? And why are we celebrating it?

Txakoli is delicious Basque white wine, slightly tart, slightly effervescent, and destined to be paired with seafood. The Basque are a fish eating culture and a lot of their food is fresh, local, seasonal (sound familiar?) for those reasons hard for us to recreate on a daily basis. But Txakoli is a wine worth celebrating, so for one day a year Six Plates becomes a traditional Basque-style restaurant and we serve six different types of oysters, we let people drink Txakoli from a porron (if you don’t know what a porron is now you’ll learn fast on Saturday), and we serve traditional basque plates, even more like tapas than what we have on a regular basis. Come see why the Basque traditions are worth celebrating on Saturday. Eat, drink, and hear live music all day.

Last Year’s Menu

Guilda Pinchos

-anchovy and pippara stuffed olives with orange zest and oil over a slice of fresh baguette. One of the most traditional Basque tapas dishes

Shrimp Tortilla

-Traditional fried dumplings made with rock shrimp.

Lightly Battered and Fried Sardines

-with romesco sauce

Flatbread

-kalamata tapenade | onion | bell pepper | mushroom | idiazabal | almonds

Braised Pork Cheeks

-with crispy potato in a pork jus

Cheese plate

-idiazabal, lightly smoked sheep’s milk cheese from the Basque region

-mahon, mild cow’s milk cheese from Menorca, Spain

-murcia al vino, goat’s milk cheese from Spain

cheese plate served with sliced apple | honey | fruit compote | mixed nuts | crostini

Dessert

lemon txakoli sorbet smoothie – raspberry sauce | 5.95

Five different oysters on the half shell

All oysters are priced a la carte at $1.50 to $3.00 and will come with a mignonette on the side and slices of lemons.

Lamby Joes 8.95

Truffle Frites 5.95

The Wine

Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina 2010

90% Hondarribi Zuri and 10% Hondarribi Beltza

This light and crisp wine is bottled with residual carbon to give it its signature natural spritz. Bright briny sea salt combined with limey fruits. Fresh and eminently quaffable.

Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina Rubentis 2010

50% Hondarribi Beltza and 50% Hondarribi Zuri

Candied red fruits combine with a lime infused edge makes this a wildly intriguing rosé.

Doniene Gorrondona Bizkaiko Txakolina Tinto 2009

100% Hondarribi Beltza

2008 was a good vintage with conditions that allowed for ideal maturation of the grapes. Aromas of green peppers and spices are followed by red fruit. On the palate the wine exerts flavors of crushed minerals. Medium tannins yield a light and refreshing finish.

Gurrutxaga Bizkaiko Txakolina 2010

60% Hondarribi Zuri, 20% Mune Mahatsa and 20% Txori Mahatsa

Deep and dense with citric and brine infused notes. The palate is rich and extremely flavorful.

Gurrutxaga Bizkaiko Txakolina Rose 2010

100% Hondarribi Beltza

melon, red berry, and maritime scents combine to form an intoxicating aroma. Deliciously fruity hints of strawberries are framed by crisp acids.

Uriondo Bizkaiko Txakolina 2010

70% Mune Mahatsa, 30% Txori Mahatsa

Fresh green apples and citric notes. The flavors on the palate are refreshing and almost salty.

Xarmant Arabako Txakolina 2010

Hondarribi Zuri, Izkiriota, Izkiriota Ttippia, and Hondarribi Zuri Zerratia

A floral nose with hints of wetstone gives way to a crisp palate of apples, pears and sweet berries.

Bodegas Rezabal Getariako Txakolina 2010 – Getariako, Spain

100% Hondarrabi zuri from a single hand harvested vineyard in Zarautz. The Rezabal family has been growing grapes in Zarautz for two generations. The family owns 15 Hectares planted in the slopes of a mountain overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Zarautz. The Atlantic environment of this area is the perfect habitat for the Hondarrabi zuri. The soils are sandy with gravel beneath of Tertiary origin. Fresh citrus fruits dominate the flavors with strong notes of crisp green apple.

Bodega Txakorierri Uixar Bizkaiko Txakoli 2010 – Bizkaia, Spain

This is 100% Hondarrabi zerratie. Pale greenish-yellow with a lot of green apple and lemon rind on the nose, with an herbal touch adding complexity. A chewy, faintly bitter mid weight that possesses more heft than most examples of Txakoli, offering zesty orchard fruit flavors with a subtle undercurrent of minerals. Finishes with good length and a brisk citrus quality.

Music Coming soon

Here is the music line-up for the event. It is going to be amazing, click on any band to be redirected to their web page for a preview.