The return of a longtime PRIMA favorite, this old vine white wayyy overdelivers! 

Every refrigerator needs a wine like this: A characterful wine to open while you decide what wine to open next. And then, because it’s so delicious, poof, the bottle is empty. And you open another—just because you can—and it cost you all of $18 a bottle! Trust us, as poor wine merchants, this sort of wine is as good as gold and we’ll all be buying cases of this overperforming Rueda DO from Castile and Leon in northwestern Spain.

Naia is, first and foremost, dedicated to making wine from some of the oldest vines in the region and, in the case of this 100% Verdejo, that can mean up to 130+ years. Fermented in stainless and left on its lees for four months, it’s bottled clean and fresh and jam-packed with beautifully articulated, old vine-y fruit. Look for copious citrus, stone fruit and green herb aromas, all lifted by the kind of penetrating acidity that will cause your mouth to water and your seafood, herb salads and white mushroom dishes jump for joy! But really, I am betting that most of yours gets consumed before you even light the stove!

How Spain can continue to deliver this kind of value is a mystery to all the rest of the wine world, but we sure hope they keep up the good work! A stone bargain you should buy by the case. This is not, alas, the kind of wine we can keep around very long so stock up! PRIMA veterans may recognize this wine from our Wines of the Year list in 2021. This vintage is even better! 

Vinous, 91 Points: The 2023 Naia is a Verdejo from La Seca, Rueda. It was aged four months on the lees. Aromas of stewed green apple, fennel, lemon pie and pastry emerge on the nose. The palate is dry, broad and creamy, with a vibrant flow that gives the wine volume and precision. A textbook Verdejo with excellent value.