Much has changed on the Leioa Campus since my days as a journalism student back in the 1980s and 1990s. What was then a street with several faculties and a cafeteria full of young people doing their extracurricular masters in a popular card game called mus has now become a large village on the outskirts of Bilbao, with research centres, a sports ground and even a supermarket.
The old cafeteria and the giant chessboard that once dominated the entrance are now just a memory of an internet-free past, when academic and recreational activities co-existed naturally. Now there are new dining areas to serve the thousands of people who flock daily to the largest campus of the University of the Basque Country.
Alkatene and Txopitea are a perfectly good option for day-to-day meals in Leioa, but the most interesting for wine lovers is definitely Lukitxene. This restaurant offers two daily menus cooked and served by the students of the Leioa Catering School: the gastronomic menu (appetizer, first course, main and dessert of your choice) and TipiTapa (appetizer, cold, hot and sweet tapas and wine selected by the School). With water and coffee included, each menu costs 22 € per person, a very reasonable price given the quality of the food, the pleasant dining room and the friendly -although necessarily inexperienced- service of the students, always supervised by the School's teachers such as the sommelier Antonio Casares.
The most striking thing about Lukitxene is undoubtedly its impressive wine cellar, which has nothing to envy when compared to famous starred restaurants. The prices are reasonable, inviting diners to uncork out-of-market vintages or wines that are not normally available in other restaurants. Lukitxene stocks some 3,500 wines and 15,000 bottles from the world's major wine-producing regions -the cellar at the entrance to the restaurant displays a substantial collection of Château d'Yquem vintages and López de Heredia rosés and whites.
Arranged in eight different cellars, some of which can be visited on a guided tour offered by the School before each service, the entire system - including the chambers with perishable products for the kitchen - is digitised in an innovative programme developed by the School, which according to its director, Ibon Andraka, makes management more efficient, saves costs and avoids waste.
Perhaps the most striking is the sparkling wine cellar, which is completely lined with cork. It contains a range of the finest champagnes such as Clos de Mesnil (€1,370), top-quality cavas such as Mestres Mas Vía 2002 from the exclusive La Cavateca collection (€267) and local bubbles such as Apardune 2020 sparkling txakoli (€25). On the neck of each bottle hangs a small badge with an NFC code containing information about the wine (format, price, producer, grape variety, tasting notes, etc.), which customers can read on their mobile phones. This tag is also very useful for the school's staff and students, as it allows them to identify the cellar and compartment in which the bottle is located, avoiding misunderstandings and registering cellar entrances and exits.
An important factor to bear in mind before booking is that, as a learning centre, Lukitxene only serves meals during the school term and hours, from 13:45 to 15:00 from Monday to Friday. The dining room, which includes a table with the menu displayed on a giant interactive screen, is also not very big - just 25 people - so it is advisable to book in advance, but it is certainly a small oasis dedicated to wine that is well worth a visit.YOLANDA ORTIZ DE ARRI
