This December at BACO, we close the year with a winery that has managed to look at Rioja from a different angle: Nivarius.
Specializing exclusively in white wines, their project was born with a clear idea: to showcase the full potential of Rioja white wines when crafted with altitude, freshness, and respect for indigenous varieties.
With vineyards in cold mountain areas, at over 800 meters of altitude, Nivarius cultivates grapes like Maturana Blanca, Tempranillo Blanco, and Garnacha Blanca to create vibrant, precise, and nuanced wines.
A distinct, modern winery with a very clear vision: to give white wine the prominence it deserves.
- Nivarius is a unique winery within Rioja: You only produce white wines. How did this focused project come about, and what inspired you to pursue it?
Our adventure begins with a clear and unique commitment to white wines in Rioja, the land of reds. In this project, we work with recovered indigenous varieties such as Tempranillo Blanco and Maturana Blanca, as well as old Viuras and Garnachas. Javier Palacios is the heart of this project, which seeks authenticity in terroirs capable of producing incredible wines.
In 2007, the Regulatory Council authorized the use of white varieties such as Maturana Blanca and Tempranillo Blanco, and it was from then, in 2011, that Palacios decided to acquire old vineyards and plant new ones to venture into the creation of a white wine winery in the land of reds, following the working methods of large wineries in Rías Baixas. A pioneering and daring endeavor that has borne fruit, as today the consumption of white and sparkling wines is increasing worldwide.
Finca La Nevera
- You work at high altitudes, in cold areas, and with indigenous varieties. What are you looking for with this combination?
This combination allows us to offer a very different vision of Rioja because it gives us freshness, fresh fruit, and natural acidity, which enables us to create wines with perfect aging potential to showcase an authentic wine that returns to its origins.
- How would you define the Nivarius style? What should a white wine have to move us?
Nivarius is a fresh, innovative, sustainable, and characterful winery. For us, the territory is at the center of everything because it allows us to showcase the idiosyncrasies of each terroir in each of our wines.
A wine must have soul, history, and show the characteristics of its origin, its soil, in every glass.
- If someone doesn't know Nivarius and wants to start. What wine would you recommend to discover the essence of the winery?
Our iconic wine, without a doubt, is Finca La Nevera, a different, special, and unique white wine. 100% Maturana Blanca aged in stainless steel for 36 months. A rare bird in Rioja.
For this time of year, Lía Reserva is a sure bet for toasting, a sparkling wine made with the traditional method and aged 60 months on its lees with Viura, Maturana Blanca, and Garnacha Blanca, which reminds us in its style of a French Champagne.
- What challenges or new ideas do you have planned for the future? Will we see any new developments soon?
At Nivarius and Proelio, our red wine winery, we are curious, innovative, and pioneers by nature. We like to take on new challenges and do things differently. This spring, we launched the first 100% Tempranillo Blanco sweet wine, harvested with a high percentage of grapes with noble rot and overripe grapes, which pass through a selection table where grapes with noble botrytis are separated from the rest of the grapes. They are pressed without destemming, and once we have the must, the botrytized grapes are incorporated to ferment in contact with the rest of the wine. They give rise to a luscious, fresh wine with a very well-integrated sweetness, accompanied by a long finish with aromas of candied orange peel and dehydrated stone fruit, which has obtained 96 points in the Guía Peñín and 94 points in Decanter. We are working on an interesting rosé wine project that we cannot yet reveal.
Nivarius reminds us that Rioja is not just a land of reds.
Their white wines reflect landscape, altitude, and a philosophy that champions what others are still beginning to discover.
You can find their wines in our shop and on our website.
And if you want to learn more about their history, listen to the new episode of Momentos DiVinos, coming soon to Spotify.
See you at BACO, with a glass of white in hand.
Even in December.
