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If you want to live a different wine tourism experience, write down this plan: visit the first underwater winery in the world: Crusoe Treasure. The place: the Coast of Vizcaya. Specifically, the seabed of the

Bay of Plentzia,

at a depth of 18 meters. The visit begins with a boat trip around the surroundings, while Borja Saracho, its general director, tells us about the

orography of the landscape

and the curious history of this project, which was born almost as an experiment. «We spent two years immersing wines from other wineries and organizing

blind tastings with winemakers.

We gave them to try the wine that we had submerged and its traditional version, without submerging, and in 90 percent of the cases they chose the one that had been under water, ”he says.

Now they make their own wines and put them on the

seabed

in a kind of cage, where they spend between a year and 15 months.

Explain that due to the swell, the

changes in underwater pressure

and the tides, the aroma, flavor and texture of the wine are modified.

Uncork during a tasting at the Crusoe Treasure winery.

He then invites you to try one of his creations, the

Sea Soul No. 4

red wine

.

The first thing that catches your eye is its color, of a bluish tone and, the second, its

silky flavor

that, according to account, evolves with the passage of time.

"You can try it on several different days and it will never taste the same," Saracho emphasizes.

BASQUE BALL A LA CARTE

Vizcaya is much more than

Bilbao, its estuary

(which must be rediscovered with its remodeled image) and its coastal towns.

Inland, a half hour drive from the city, you can find authentic gems of rural tourism, such as Guernica.

Strolling through its streets is like reading a history book of the Basque people.

Its

Casa de Juntas

, its anti-aircraft shelters and its street murals are the memory of the bombing that devastated the municipality during the Civil War.

The remodeled image of the Ría de Bilbao.

To this must be added that Guernica is home to one of the great temples of Basque pelota: the

Gernika Jai-Alai

fronton

,

which stands out in the basket tip variety. Although due to the pandemic no official matches are being held, admission is free and well worth a visit. There are companies like Jai Alai Events that organize a la carte shows with

semi-professional players.

In addition, on a trip to Vizcaya you also have to leave space to enjoy and learn about its gastronomy.

In the surroundings you can stop for lunch at the

Baserri Maitea

restaurant

, a Basque grill located in a 17th century farmhouse, or visit the

Alluitz Natura

school farm

.

There it is possible to see, touch and learn from the lacha sheep, with whose milk the famous Idiazábal cheese is made.

The land of txakolí

And a gastronomic route cannot end without visiting a txakolí winery, the Basque wine par excellence.

In the area is

Berroja,

which is also part of a unique environment: the

Urdaibai

Biosphere

Reserve, elevated 250 meters above sea level.

José Ángel Carrero, its founder, boasts spectacular views and is not wrong.

Sheep from the Alluitz Natura school farm.

From its lands you can see the sea, the

Sierra Salvada

de Burgos and four of the five bocineros mountains of Vizcaya.

He speaks passionately about each of his wines and assures that there is nothing like "tasting them with a good portion of

cheese and gildas from the land

and some good preserves", that is why he includes these types of products in his tastings, which are carefully minimal detail.

His wines have reached countries such as Japan and the United States and, to everyone's surprise, he assures that this Basque wine, due to its particular flavor, pairs perfectly with

paella, pasta or sushi.

"Because a txacolí without acidity is like a garden without flowers," he concludes.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • Basque Country

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