Nivarius with Chiles in nogada
Nivarius
Winery Nivarius
www.nivarius.com
D.O.: Rioja
Grapes: 55% Tempranillo Blanco, 45% Viura.
Ageing: 4 months in Normandy French oak "fudres" (large open barrels) of 3500 litres
Price: 12 €
Excerpt from the book “Pairings of spanish wines with exotic cuisines”.
Click to see the preparation of these dishes, in American recipes.
Pueden ver la versión en español pinchando en Nivarius
This is the new Rioja, a winery that has been designed to make only white wines, where everything has been carefully chosen, from the location of the vineyards, at an altitude of 800 m., orientated north and on sandy soil, to the futuristic design of the labels on the bottles, reflecting seriousness or frivolity according to the wine.
They have recovered the Tempranillo Blanco variety, and they will soon release a single-variety wine we are looking forward to trying as it will be a novelty, although so is this wine, which fights heroically in a field of reds, proving what was to be done in La Rioja and what may come in the future.
Pip fruits (pear, apple) dominate in this wine, with citrus hints, flowery notes and the result of ageing, a spicy, balsamic, even slightly smoky background. It is a high-level wine which will improve in the bottle.
Chiles en nogada
This is one of the most popular dishes in Mexican haute-cuisine, specifically the one from Puebla, which disputes over leadership in this country's gastronomy with neighbouring Oaxaca.
Don't expect a spicy dish. It consists of green chili peppers from Puebla, of course, with walnut sauce, but with a range of tastes formed by fruits, nuts, ground meat... crowned by pomegranate seeds and mint or parsley leaves. A real festival of tastes which is said to have been created by the Agustinian nuns of Santa Mónica convent in Puebla, in homage to emperor Agustín de Iturbide when he was coming back after signing the independence of Mexico.
Pairing.jpg "Chiles en nogada")
This pairing was not easy because the dish is a difficult one and, even though reds were out because of the power of green chili, the whites we tried competed with the fruits and aromatic herbs. The cream sauce with fresh cheese and walnuts was another obstacle to overcome, since although it is not cloying it has substance in mouth, so we needed a wine with enough acidity as to clean the mouth and restore balance in it to go on with the tasting.
The arrival of this new wine was providential because at tasting I had found it complex and very structured but at the same time fresh and bright, so we tried and the result went beyond expectations. It is the ideal example of what the French call "contrabalance" (counterbalancing), comprising a harmonious whole.