Txakoli is the Basque white wine: high-acid, lightly effervescent, made from the indigenous Hondarrabi Zuri grape, traditionally poured from height at the bar to release the natural spritz.
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.
4 editor picks for Txakoli in Bilbao, ranked by editorial score. All Bilbao signature dishes · Txakoli across every city.
Cork ★ 4.6
Calle Licenciado Poza 45, 48011 Bilbao
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.
Bar El Globo ★ 4.5
abando · Calle Diputacion 8, 48008 Bilbao
Bar El Globo on Calle Diputacion in Bilbao since 1997 anchors the Indautxu pintxo crawl with the canonical txangurro (spider crab) gratin counter.
Gure Toki ★ 4.4
Plaza Nueva 12, 48005 Bilbao
Gure Toki on Plaza Nueva in Bilbao won the Euskal Herria pintxo championship 2016 with Idiazabal cheese soup, oxtail croquettes and cheesecake.
Xukela ★ 4.2
Calle del Perro 2, 48005 Bilbao
Xukela on Calle del Perro in Bilbao's Casco Viejo since 1982 sits on the most traditional Bilbao tapas street with creative pintxos and wines.