I remember my dad having a bota bag around. I don’t remember him using it much, but it was one of the few things from the “old country” that he had around the house. Maybe when he was a sheepherder, he used it more – I don’t know. But, for me as a child, it was one of those symbols of the Basque Country and this strange place dad came from. And, when I was older, I had to get one of my own. It also doesn’t get much use – I’m sure to the chagrin of any zahatogile or maker of bota bags. But it reminds me of dad.

• Wineskins, zahatos, or bota bags have been used by people for millennia as a way of transporting drinks and keeping them cool. While some skins are large – the size of the animal they are made from and can carry some 120 liters (about 30 gallons) – zahatos and bota bags are meant to be carried by individuals. They are much smaller, holding between 1 and 4 liters (1/4 to 1 gallon), depending. Traditionally, zahatos or bota bags were used exclusively for wine. These days, with latex linings, they can be used to hold any drink.
• The original zahatos – or Basque bota bags – were made of goatskin and soaked in resin inside to keep it water proof. The mouth was made of originally of wood and then bull horn. Today, these types can still be found but modern variants can also use latex to seal the inside. The mouth now is made of rubber in many cases or even more modern materials. Regardless, a red cord is attached to the mouth and wrapped around the bag to be used as a strap for carrying.
• For zahatos with wax or resin linings, the lining takes on flavor from the wine: “Wineskins improve good wines and make poor wines good.” They have to be used all the time, or the resin will stiffen or worse; the worst thing one can do with a bota bag is not use it.
• A distinctive feature of the zahato is that the mouth releases a small stream of wine. This means that you don’t have to put your lips to the mouth to drink. Instead, you can shoot the stream into your mouth from a distance. This is called the zurrust technique.
• Perhaps the most famous brand of zahatos is Las Tres ZZZ of Pamplona. The company started in 1873 as Botería Eusebio Iglesias, owned by of course Eusebio Iglesias. He hired Gregorio Pérez from Huesca as an apprentice and Gregorio took over the business in 1902 when Eusebio retired. In 1914, Gregorio and his wife had triplet girls and he started branding his bags with the three ZZZ in their honor, after the Spanish word zagalas which means young girl or shepherdess.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Las Tres ZZZ zahatoa, Kazeta.eus; Bota bag, Wikipedia; Zahato, Wikipedia; Zahatogintza, Gipuzkoa.eus