Nivarius Tempranillo Blanco 2020

The situation: one menu, two cuisines, three colleagues, and 97 degrees at 7pm. I was in en plein air on the dual patio of two restaurants, the German Alpine Restaurant & Bar, and Spanish El Lugar while dining with two self-declared ‘clueless drinkers.’ I chose a bottle for the table that did not disappoint either colleague or either cuisine - a Nivarius Tempranillo Blanco 2020 from Rioja.

The full body created a structure for the pleasant acid to drape itself over without any aggression, a must-have for my coworkers. And if the structure was classic Rioja, then the flavors could have been flown in directly from Bavaria. Straight from the ice bucket it exuded peaches, apricots, and ripe apple before warming into a bouquet of fruit cocktail and lime zest. Most impressively, the wine stood up to both the the spicy stuffed banana pepper tapas and the breaded schnitzel, not to mention the pepper-crusted tuna steak and slab of Iberian ham.

If it grows together, it goes together - a saying I’m grateful that I half-ignored.

Imported by: Kyssela Pere et Fils

Region: Rioja, Spain

Grapes: 100% Tempranillo Blanco