Oxer Wines

Prologue

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Oxer Bastegieta is a Basque producer who divides his time between the family winery in the Bizkaiko Txakolina appellation and his highly personal wines in Rioja.

A seasoned traveller, Oxer got into wine in 1999 when his father asked him to make a txakoli to be served in the family restaurant in Kortezubi (Bizkaia) from a one-hectare plot he had planted nearby. Bastegieta discovered Rioja soon after, when he took a master's degree in Wine Growing and Oenology in Laguardia, in the heart of Rioja Alavesa. He was captivated by the striking landscape set against the imposing mountains of Sierra Cantabria and decided to move to this picturesque village in 2009.

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Young Soul

 

Oxer always wanted to make wines in La Rioja Alavesa and in 2005 he moves to Laguardia convinced of the uniqueness of the area. In  2009 he makes his first wine with grapes purchased from the growers in the area (grapes from old vineyards). The experiment succeeds. He falls in love with this  region and its stunning vineyards. Oxer then decides this is the place where he wants to settle and further express the art of winemaking. Relatively new to the region, but already enjoying national and international recognition.

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Old Vineyards 

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Convinced of their singularity, Oxer invests each cent earned in buying old plots. Artillero is one of these beauties: 98 years old, located in Elvillar  (La Rioja Alavesa) at 600 metres altitude and creator of the white Iraun and red Artillero. This is only just the beginning. Oxer is in continuous search for old jewels. A visionary man with a plan: achieving immortality of his wines.  

 

Eye for quality and detail

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The vineyards in La Rioja Alavesa are worked organically following the principle of regenerative agriculture. Man and mule work the land with great care and respect for the old vines. Different kinds of European oak are being selected for each and every single wine, and barrels and foudres are tailor-made accordingly (Francis and Stockinger). Even naming and labelling are carried out with minute detail for meaning and symbolism, expressing oxer´s universe.

 

Elegance, freshness and refinement

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All the meticulous work in vineyard and winery culminates in extremely fresh and elegant wines. These are the characteristics Oxer strives for in all his wines. 
Old vines, only natural acidity by picking early, little extraction, spontaneous fermentation and fermentation and ageing in a mix of vessels (stainless steel tanks, concrete egg, amphorae, foudres and oak barrels different sizes) all contribute to achieving this fine wine profile.