Sommeliers: Say what you will about them, but on this much we can agree — they’re notoriously hard to impress. As such, it’s not every day that you get a gushy, excited email from one of them — especially in the case of one our favorites in the entire city, Paul Rodriguez of Tinto. But that’s just what we got literally moments after Rodriguez unpacked this year’s shipment of Rose Txakoli, a notoriously hard-to-find Basque varietal that Tinto was lucky enough to snag some of:

“This is a rare treat, Rose Txakoli made from the Hondarribi Beltza grape. So few of this stuff gets made and even less makes it across the ocean. Supper fresh with wonderful delicate berry fruit and a bracing minerality in the finish, this is perfect for those warmer days of spring, a true Basque delight. What we got may be all that gets into the state for the year. The importer says that he gets calls all day from all over the country for this stuff, but he has set aside this little bit that we have for Philadelphia, because he likes us so much.”

Paul was so excited he even posed for a pic with a bottle of the stuff:

Rose Txakoli: It’s like Christmas morning for oenophiles.

Tinto, 116 S 20th St. (215) 665-9150