Grape Variety
Izkiriota Ttippia
“Little Manseng, Big Flavors — Petit Manseng Under the Basque Sky”
Izkiriota Ttippia is a red wine grape grown in Unknown.
Izkiriota Ttippia at a glance
| Color | Red |
|---|---|
| Where it grows | Unknown |
The Story
Izkiriota Ttippia is the most texturally intriguing of the Basque secondary white grapes. The name breaks down simply: "Izkiriota" (the Basque name for Manseng) plus "Ttippia" (the Basque word for "small" — pronounced roughly "tchippee-ah") — making this the small-berried Manseng variety, Petit Manseng in French.
Small berries mean concentrated juice. Petit Manseng's thick skins and high sugar accumulation make it a powerhouse of flavor — apricot, honey, quince, mango, floral notes — with some of the highest natural acidity of any white grape in the Pyrenean family. In Jurançon (its French homeland), it is THE prestige grape, making the famous late-harvest sweet wines and the structured dry Jurançon Sec. In the Basque Txakoli DOs, it is an authorized minority variety, used in small quantities to lend exotic richness and spice to otherwise lean, saline Txakoli blends.
This is a white grape — the "red" classification in the database is incorrect. It is fully authorized as a white variety in all three Txakoli DOs.
Insider Story
Petit Manseng is experiencing a global renaissance. It's been planted successfully in Virginia, China, and Australia — unusual for a grape this obscure. The reason: it holds acidity even in warm climates. In Jurançon, the best sweet wines (Domaine Cauhapé's "Ballet d'Octobre," Henri Ramonteu's "Quintessence") command serious money. The same variety sits quietly in Basque Txakoli blends, unrecognized, adding aromatic depth for €12/bottle. The cognitive dissonance is real.
The Basques and the Béarnais have been culturally and commercially connected for centuries — the Jurançon region borders Basque Country. Petit Manseng traveled this short distance and took root. Its Basque name "Izkiriota Ttippia" appears in regulatory documents but almost never on wine labels, making it invisible to all but the most obsessive Basque wine scholars.
Technical Deep Dive
Izkiriota Ttippia = Petit Manseng (Vitis vinifera). Authorized secondary white variety in all three Txakoli DOs (Getariako, Bizkaiko, Arabako Txakolina). Also found in France's Jurançon, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh, Irouléguy, Béarn, and Gascony appellations.
Key characteristics: Small, thick-skinned berries with loose clusters that allow air circulation and natural dehydration (passerillage) on the vine. Extremely high natural acidity even at full ripeness — can exceed 10 g/L TA. High sugar potential (can reach 280–350 g/L in late harvest). Intense aromatic profile: apricot jam, dried mango, honey, quince, ginger, floral notes (acacia, orange blossom).
In Txakoli blends: the high-sugar/high-acid character of Petit Manseng is a counterbalance to the delicate, mineral profile of Hondarrabi Zuri. A small addition (3–10%) adds spice, tropical fruit, and mid-palate richness without overwhelming the fresh, salty Txakoli character. This variety brings what Basque winemakers call "volume" — mouth-filling texture even at low addition levels.
No Txakoli producer makes a 100% Izkiriota Ttippia varietal wine. It is exclusively a blend component.
Industry Secrets
Petit Manseng is one of wine's great under-the-radar success stories. In Jurançon, it makes wines — both sweet and dry — that can age 20+ years and rival Sauternes in quality at 1/5 the price. In Txakoli, the same grape adds complexity that no other variety in the blend can match. Progressive Basque winemakers use it as a tool for "invisible luxury" — lifting a fresh everyday wine into something more textured and memorable without the consumer ever knowing why.
Collector’s Corner
Investment grade C- Auction records
- No auction market for Izkiriota Ttippia in Txakoli context. Petit Manseng as a variety has a small but real auction presence in its French Jurançon form — Henri Ramonteu "Quintessence du Petit Manseng" can trade at €60–100+ per bottle for top vintages. But no Basque expression of the grape has auction relevance.
- Blue-chip producers
- ["Gorka Izagirre (Bizkaiko Txakolina)","Txomin Etaniz (Getariako Txakolina)","Ameztoi (Getariako Txakolina)","Henri Ramonteu Domaine Cauhapé (Jurançon, for reference Petit Manseng)","Artomana (Arabako Txakolina)"]
- Value picks
- In Txakoli: any complex, aromatic Bizkaiko or Arabako Txakolina from a quality producer (€12–20) likely contains Izkiriota Ttippia. For the pure varietal experience at value, Jurançon Sec from Domaine Bellegarde or Clos Lapeyre (France) shows Petit Manseng's character for €15–20. The contrast between Txakoli and Jurançon styles using the same grape is genuinely educational.
- Price trend
- Stable in Txakoli context. As a standalone Jurançon Sec or sweet Jurançon variety, Petit Manseng has seen growing critical recognition and modest price appreciation in the natural wine community. The Basque expression remains embedded in blends with no independent price.
- Collector’s tip
- To truly understand Izkiriota Ttippia, drink a great Jurançon Moelleux (sweet) alongside a Basque Txakoli that uses it as a component. The aromatic signature — apricot, honey, citrus zest — threads through both wines even though the styles are radically different. If you can find a producer who explicitly mentions Izkiriota Ttippia on label or tech sheet, buy it: you are tasting one of wine's most underappreciated varieties in its most unusual expression.
Fact-checked March 2026
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