The GURBIDE vineyard takes its name from the historic road that once connected the port with the town of Portugalete, where the vines now grow in the shadow of the Santa María Basilica, within a Monumental Complex protected since 1996. Planted in 2021 by the Municipality of Portugalete to mark the town’s 700th anniversary, the vineyard spans roughly 1,550 m² and is home to more than 230 vines, mostly Hondarrabi Zuri, alongside traditional Basque varieties and even specimens of Vitis Silvestris. Since 2023, it has been cared for by Portugaleteko Mahastizainak, a cultural association dedicated to reviving the town’s historic txakoli-making tradition and the memory it carries.
More than a vineyard, GURBIDE is a living community project. In 2024, the Aldaxka Project invited residents to nurture 150 vine cuttings at home before replanting nearly 70 of them in a festive, community-wide event. Each autumn, the Community Harvest opens the vineyard to residents, who pick the grapes themselves and watch traditional destemming and pressing techniques come to life, all set against music, theatre, and a traditional romería. In both 2025 and 2026, the association also led the opening ceremony of Txakolina Fest – Portugalete, weaving together historical storytelling, folk dance, and live performance to celebrate the town’s wine heritage.
The wine produced is never sold. It is shared among the association’s members, in keeping with a mission built on culture rather than commerce: to research, preserve, and pass on Portugalete’s wine-growing legacy, and to strengthen the bonds between neighbors, associations, and traditions along the way. From original songs written about txakoli to a vineyard that brings the whole town together, GURBIDE proves that heritage is best kept alive when it is lived, not just remembered.