Cork ★ 4.4
Cork on Licenciado Pozas in Bilbao, run by sommelier Jonathan Hernando since 2014, pours 80 wines by the glass with a natural and low-intervention focus.
Try: Wine-paired pintxos, charcuterie
History
Txakoli (or txakolina in Basque) is a centuries-old Basque white, with three DO regions (Bizkaiko Txakolina, Getariako Txakolina, Arabako Txakolina) producing tense, low-alcohol wines from the Hondarrabi Zuri grape. The traditional service is escanciado: pouring from above shoulder height into a wide glass to release the natural spritz before the pour reaches the table. Bilbao bars from Bar Charly to Cork all pour txakoli; the wine drinks alongside every pintxo on the counter.
Common allergens: Sulphites
Where to eat txakoli
Txakoli in Bilbao
Gure Toki ★ 4.6
Gure Toki on Plaza Nueva in Bilbao won the Euskal Herria pintxo championship 2016 with Idiazabal cheese soup, oxtail croquettes and cheesecake.
Signature drink: Txakoli, by the glass
Food: Idiazabal cheese soup, oxtail croquettes, Basque cheesecake
Bar El Globo ★ 4.5
Bar El Globo on Calle Diputacion in Bilbao since 1997 anchors the Indautxu pintxo crawl with the canonical txangurro (spider crab) gratin counter.
Try: Txangurro gratin pintxo
Xukela ★ 4.4
Why locals love it: Locals know Calle del Perro for the city's most traditional pintxo bars; tourists rarely leave Plaza Nueva to find Xukela's mushrooms with rooster crests.
Tip: Order the mushrooms with candied rooster crests as a starter; stay for the wine list.
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