White grape variety
Macabeo
A Spanish white used in both Cava and white Rioja, where it is called Viura.
What is Macabeo?
Macabeo is gentle and floral, contributing freshness and aroma to the Cava blend.
As Viura it is the principal white grape of Rioja, where barrel-aged traditional examples develop a remarkable nutty, oxidative complexity over decades.
The Vitis International Variety Catalogue, maintained by the Julius Kühn Institute, holds this variety as accession 13127 under the prime name VIURA, with berry skin colour blanc and country of origin spain, and the pedigree "HEBEN X BRUSTIANO FAUX". Checked 2026-08-17.
What it tastes like
This is the envelope across every expression of Macabeo, not a description of one bottle. Wide ranges are the honest answer.
| Dimension | Typical | Range | Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetness | low | Consistent | |
| Acidity | medium | Some variation | |
| Alcohol | medium | Some variation | |
| Body | medium | Some variation | |
| Fruit intensity | medium | Some variation | |
| Aromatic intensity | medium | Some variation | |
| Oak influence | low-medium | Some variation | |
| Savoury character | low-medium | Consistent | |
| Floral character | medium | Some variation | |
| Herbal / green character | low | Consistent | |
| Spice | low | Consistent | |
| Earthy character | low | Consistent | |
| Perceived freshness | medium | Some variation | |
| Texture | medium | Consistent |
Common flavours
Wines made from it
The same grape in different places and different hands. These are where the wide ranges above resolve into something specific.
Traditional-method sparkling
Sparkling wine with its second fermentation in the bottle, aged on the lees — the method behind Champagne, Cava, Crémant, Franciacorta and English sparkling.
Spain
Cava
Spain’s traditional-method sparkling wine: bottle-fermented and lees-aged like Champagne, at a fraction of the price.
Spain
Corpinnat
A breakaway collective mark used by Penedès producers who left Cava, with stricter self-imposed rules.
Where it grows
- Cava — Spain
- Penedès — Spain
- Rioja Alta — Spain
- Rioja Alavesa — Spain
If you like Macabeo, try…
Every suggestion says why it is connected and what will be different.
Closest matches
What is most like this?
Xarel·lo
Its partner in Cava, and the variety it is always tasted alongside.
Xarel·lo is firmer, more structured and more overtly earthy.
Chardonnay
A useful anchor for a soft, moderately acidic white that takes well to lees and time.
Macabeo is more neutral and appley, with much less aromatic presence.
Roero Arneis
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Similar but lighter
Something like this, but lighter?
Parellada
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect it to be less oaky, and fresher and more acidic.
Müller-Thurgau
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Koshu
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be less floral, and leaner and more cutting.
Similar but lower in alcohol
Something like this, but less alcoholic?
Parellada
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect it to be less oaky, and lighter.
Koshu
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be less floral, and lighter.
Trebbiano Romagnolo
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be sweeter, and less floral.
Similar but fuller
Something like this, but richer?
Chardonnay
A useful anchor for a soft, moderately acidic white that takes well to lees and time.
Macabeo is more neutral and appley, with much less aromatic presence.
Roussanne
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more aromatic, and stronger and warmer.
Pošip
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be less floral, and fruitier.
What to eat with it
Ranked by WineHQ's pairing engine, which reasons from the structure of the dish.
Fillet steak
Works because the finished dish, not the raw ingredient, sets the target.
Trout
Works because low tannin avoids the metallic interaction with fish.
Turkey
Works because the finished dish, not the raw ingredient, sets the target.
Halibut
Works because low tannin avoids the metallic interaction with fish.
Salmon
Works because low tannin avoids the metallic interaction with fish.
Asparagus
Works because bitterness in the dish and tannin in the wine accumulate rather than balance.
How to serve it
Temperature
10–13°C
50–55°F · Lightly chilled
About 45 minutes to an hour in the fridge from room temperature, or take it out of the fridge about an hour before serving.
Decanting
No need to decant
Nothing about this wine suggests it needs decanting. Light, aromatic and sparkling wines generally lose more than they gain.
Glass
Universal wine glass
A medium tulip-shaped glass handles almost everything well. If you own one set of glasses, this is the set to own — the difference between a good universal glass and a grape-specific one is far smaller than the difference between a good glass and a bad one.
Ageing
Wines made from this grape are generally at their best within a few years.
Known as Viura in Rioja and Macabeo in Catalonia. The still whites are generally for drinking young. It is also a principal Cava variety, where any ageing is a function of time on lees before disgorgement rather than of the bottle in a reader’s rack.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) — Julius Kühn-Institut, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof
- Consejo Regulador del Cava — Consejo Regulador de la DO Cava
- Consejo Regulador DOCa Rioja — classification — Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja