Private buyers · second home · Basque Country
Wine for a house in the Basque Country
Biarritz, Guéthary, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a farmhouse inland: summer with the family, Easter and the All Saints' holiday, often with tenants in between. The Basque Country has its own wine, Irouléguy, and a cuisine that also calls for Bordeaux. What to plan for, and what is better bought locally.
How many bottles per stay
A third of a bottle per adult per day, aperitif included. The holiday home calculator adds in the stays, the tenants and the welcome bottles.
| Stay | Adults | Bottles | Cases of six |
|---|---|---|---|
| A week at Easter or All Saints | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| A week in summer | 6 | 14 | 3 |
| Three weeks in July | 8 | 56 | 10 |
Bordeaux at the Basque table
Dry white
Entre-deux-Mers, white Graves: lively, no oak, for fish and squid on the plancha.
Rosé and clairet
Bordeaux clairet, deeper in colour than a rosé, stands up to Espelette pepper.
Red
Bordeaux Supérieur for the axoa; Saint-Émilion or Médoc for grilled meat. See what wine with a barbecue.
Sweet wine
A Sauternes or a Loupiac with Ossau-Iraty: sugar and salt get on well.
What matters in the Basque Country
- Irouléguy is bought locally. It is the only appellation in the French Basque Country, from the co-operative cellar or from the winegrowers in the valley: go, it makes a lovely outing. Bordeaux is for the rest of the cellar.
- Have it delivered before you arrive. Bordeaux is two hours' drive away, but in summer the coast is busy and the boot is full. Lead times and cost on the delivery page.
- For tenants, a welcome bottle per stay; a dry white in summer, a supple red in winter.
- No stock without a cellar. A closed-up house heats up in summer; order stay by stay.
When you don't need us
For a few bottles, the village wine shop or an Irouléguy estate will do better than us. An order makes sense from a few cases: three weeks with the family, a house let all summer, a party.
What wine should you drink in the Basque Country?
Irouléguy, red, rosé or white, bought locally. For a broader summer cellar, Bordeaux: dry white for fish, clairet for the aperitif, red for grilled meat.
What wine goes with axoa?
A supple, fruity, low-tannin red: Bordeaux Supérieur, Côtes de Bordeaux, or a red Irouléguy.
Can you get wine delivered in the Basque Country?
Yes, as parcels, if someone is there to receive them: a caretaker, a concierge service or you on the day you arrive. Lead times and charges are on the delivery page.
How many bottles for three weeks for eight people?
Around fifty-six, so ten cases of six. For such a long period, split it into two deliveries if the house gets hot.
Other houses
Further north, Arcachon and the Pyla and Cap Ferret. In winter, a chalet in Megève.
Send your dates and the number of adults: request a quote, reply within 48 working hours.