Spain | Basque Country | Doniene Gorrondona
Doniene Gorrondona
Summary
Doniene Gorrondona is perched on precipitous green cliffs above the Bay of Biscay in the seaside village of Bakio, near Bilbao in the Spanish Basque Country. The name of the winery is a combination of "Doniene," Basque for "Saint John," the patron Saint of Bakio whose shrine and hermitage is on the summit of the nearby San Juan de Gaztelugatxe island, and Gorrondona is the name of the farmhouse and winery which was built in 1852.
The winery was founded by winemaker and oenologist Itziar Insausti and journalist Andoni Sarratea. Itziar’s brother Egoitz works in the winery and assists agronomist Julen Frías in the vineyards. Gorrondona currently farms 16 hectares of vines, including a unique two-hectare parcel of pre-phylloxera hondarrabi beltza. The vines are planted pergola-style to allow air circulation in this moist climate. The vineyards are farmed sustainably, and the wines are fermented using only the native, indigenous yeasts for spontaneous fermentation.
