Azpeitia's Plaza will host a wine and chorizo festival on Saturday, November 7th, from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM. The 19th Wine Day and the 12th Cooked Chorizo Contest will be combined to encourage people to come out and discover local producers' work. "The Wine Tasting Day is already established in Azpeitia's calendar. Using gastronomy as an excuse, our aim is to get citizens out on the streets, to recognize the work of local producers, and to create a pleasant atmosphere in the town's streets," stated Mikel Odriozola, head of the festival committee. Visitors will have the opportunity to taste wines from a total of 11 wineries, and eighteen butcher shops have registered for the chorizo contest.
A glass of wine will cost one euro, and tasting tickets will be sold in pairs: two tickets for three euros; four tickets for five euros; six tickets for seven euros. Pintxos will be available for two euros. In addition to the chorizo pintxos brought by the participating butcher shops, cheese pintxos will also be on sale, provided by the cheese producers Berastegi, Premietxeberri, and Elosiaga.
The event is organized by the Azpeitia City Council, with the collaboration of Dendartean, Odriozola Ardoak, Ederto Harakela, and the Gipuzkoa Commerce Federation. Additionally, a couple from the Luix Beltza dance school will be stomping grapes to add another element to the festive atmosphere. This year, the Izarraitz Swimming Club will take over from the volunteers of the Mission Team and the Leisure Group for the Sick and Disabled in preparing and distributing the chorizo, with the proceeds going to the club.
The 11 wineries participating in the tasting are: Tobelos, Eguren Ugarte, Hariak Winery, Ostatu (Rioja Alavesa); Zinio, Valcuerna, Lan, Salceda, Pierola (Rioja); Inurrieta (Navarra); and Juve & Camps (Penedes). The eighteen butcher shops competing in the contest are: Valentin Odriozola (Azpeitia), Aitxumarri (Azpeitia), Kepa Loidi (Orio), Okela (Donostia), Arrizabalaga senideak (Mutriku), Deba (Ormaiztegi), Miren (Tolosa), Pako (Olazti), Imanol Barriola (Tolosa), Arteaga (Donostia), Agirre-Etxe (Arrasate), Biyona (Zarautz), Bengoetxea (Donostia), Txarri Txiki (Aia), Otamendi (Arrasate), Joxe Mari Barriola (Ibarra), Zuazo (Dima), and Lopez de Goikoetxea (Urdiain).
In addition to the midday events, there will be afternoon activities in the Bustintxuri neighborhood, celebrating the San Martín festivals, featuring a bull run (sokamuturra), a sandwich feast, and a performance by the UK03 band. Furthermore, in the Perez Arregi square, attendees can enjoy the street theater performance Birakolore by Zurrunka Teatroa & La Semilla Voladora, as part of the 44th Basque Theater Encounters.
