Txakoli and practically everything on the Palomar menu

I think Txakoli may be my new favourite restaurant wine - or at least it is this summer. It’s a unique, sharp, very slightly fizzy white wine from the Basque region of Spain. The one we were drinking - at the Palomar in Soho - was the Agerra Txakoli which comes from the designated origin of Getariako

It went quite brilliantly with The Palomar’s food which I guess can best be described as modern Israeli but to which they give their own unique twist. It’s full of vivid and delicious flavours but the element that I think went best was the dairy one - dishes like the burnt courgette tzatziki, and beetroot carpaccio with burnt goat’s cheese (needless to say, fashionably singed not burnt to a cinder).

It was also great with the Kubaneh (Yemeni pot baked bread served with tahini & ‘velvet tomatoes’ a luxuriant fresh tomato dip that tasted a bit like gazpacho. Oh and the mysteriously but seductively spiced fish felafel

You can buy the Agerra for £13.95 from Whitmore and White in the Wirral, Cheshire. I also very much like the Flysch txacoli I recommended in my Guardian column this week.

Seafood tapas and Txakoli

Despite its almost unpronounceable name Txakoli (pronounced chackoly) is the new kid on the block for anyone who likes a crisp dry white wine.

It comes from Spain’s Basque country and is a clean-as-a-whistle, super-sharp white with a slight spritz that’s brilliant with any kind of seafood.

I had a glass of the 2013 Ameztoi Txakoli at the latest branch of Barrafina in Adelaide Street last week which was particularly good with the deep fried fish dishes such as ortiguillas (sea anemones) and with a delicious fresh-tasting salad of fennel, radishes and pears. They pour it with great ceremony from a bottle held high in the air - a bit like they serve fino sherry in Jerez.

You can buy it from Highbury Vintners for £13 - they also suggest anchovies as a good match which sounds a good call.

I made another Txakoli my match of the week back in September so you can see I'm slightly obsessed with it at the moment. If you're a fan of Muscadet, Picpoul and Vinho Verde you’ll love it.