You want a picnic wine? How about a warm-summer-day-on-the-deck-wine? Here it is. After I wrote the review, I had this with slices of a spicy Italian sausage and it did not seem to be a bit overwhelmed. In fact, even a little bit better.
Sometimes, you just want to drink something that you don’t want to over-think. Yep, I know, that whole notion runs counter to one of the premises of this blog. My bad, so here’s our review:
El Coto Blanco Rioja 2009 ($9). Made from 100% viura grapes farmed in Rioja Alavesa, it wears a pale straw-colored robe. On the nose, soft florals dominate offering whispers alternating between jasmine and citrus. An almost salty-like minerality prevails giving the wine a refreshing quality. Not a particularly terrific finish. But very quaffable indeed. Rated **
But I think that this could also be much better with raw oysters on the half-shell. Now that suggestion is pure speculation, because the Sybarite Sauvage’s larder was absent such bivalave mollusks. Did I hear someone mention shrimp cocktail? Yeah, it’s summer– you try it and let me know.
Did someone say viura? What is that? Viura which is alternately known as Macabeo is a varietal grown in Spain and is often blended with other varietals as it makes its way into the cavas (the Spanish sparkling wine) that I generally favor over champagne. So sue me.
Want to learn more about Viura from someone who really knows what she’s talking about? See Jancis Robinson’s discussion at http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a201001042.html
sybaritesauvage 
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