The Macabeo Grape

Macabeo is an old white-wine grape most likely originating in the Vilafranca del Penedès region of Catalunya in Spain. It is almost equally common to find it called “Viura” as “Macabeo”; we here follow Jancis Robinson in her encyclopedic book Wine Grapes in referring to it as Macabeo. Quite often, the wines will be founbd labelled simply “White Rioja” (or the Spanish equivalent “Rioja Blanco”), but recent changes in Spanish wine laws now allow white Riojas to contain as little as 51% Viura (as it is called there), so if looking at such a bottle, take care to read the back label.

Today, Macabeo is grown and vinified on both sides of the Pyrenees Mountains: in northern Spain and in southern France. The French production is much smaller than the Spanish (which is mostly the Rioja region), but the wines from there (the Roussillon region) are quite well-made.

Stylistically, Macabeo is all over the map. The modern tendency is toward stainless-steel fermentation tanks, producing crisp, fresh floral wines; but there is also a significant amount made in an older fashion, using later-harvested grapes and a deal of oak-barrel aging to produce big nutty/honied wines. It is probably well worth becoming acquainted with both styles.

Factoid: Macabeo is an important ingredient in the famed Cava sparkling wines of Spain.

Some Descriptions of Macabeo Wines

Wikipedia
“It is widely grown in the Rioja region of northeastern Spain, the Cava producing areas south of Barcelona, and the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France…The grape is mostly used to make mildly acidic and young white wines mostly suitable for early consumption or blending with other varieties, both red and white. Some of the most pleasurable examples of the variety are planted along the Pyrenees, where it is used to produce highly saline and textural white wine… Some producers of white Rioja make superior wines (Reserva and Gran Reserva) subjected to extended ageing that can span decades, resulting in a highly distinctive and aromatic wine.”
Wine Searcher
“There are few universal truths about how Macabeo tastes; the wines can be fresh, floral and aromatic when harvested sufficiently early and aged in stainless steel, but weighty, honeyed and nutty when aged in oak and harvested slightly later. Spain is unquestionably Macabeo’s homeland, most obviously the northern regions. It is the principal ingredient in white wines from Rioja, where the locals call it Viura, and it is used in almost every wine district of Catalonia…In France (as Maccabeu) the variety is well respected but significantly less common…When picked early, varietal Macabeo can show grapefruit flavors with pronounced acidity, but when picked later, the wines generally taste more of oak than anything else.”
Jancis Robinson
“Over the past few years I have been increasingly impressed by wines made from a grape that is hardly ever written about and of which the authorities in the region where it is most important seem rather ashamed. This historic vine variety is known as Macabeu and Maccabéo in Roussillon in southern France, Macabeo in much of its homeland Spain, and Viura in Rioja, where it is by far the most planted white wine grape. It has the unusual virtue of being capable of making dry white wines, often blends, with real nerve and character that improve with age…With the exception of a handful of extremely traditional white riojas that can age superbly (but are arguably a rather minority taste)…white rioja nowadays tends to be extremely simple stuff for very early consumption…As Macabeo, the vine is widely planted all over north-east Spain and can make a wide range of wines both varietal (100% Macabeo) and blends. The variety really seems to come into its own over the border in Roussillon, its French home.”
Dynamic Vines
“Known as Macabeo in much of Spain, where it is the most commonly planted vine, Viura in Rioja and Macabeu/Maccabéo in Roussillon, France, this is a grape that plays a central part in some of the most celebrated wines in both countries…The grape generally has a high acidity when young, when it also has less flavour to it, but when picked later has a subtle floral character and low acidity.”
Winegeeks
“Both still and sparkling wines from the Macabeo are dry, medium in acidity, and have notes of delicate wildflowers and bitter almonds. Macabeo is best consumed young.”
World’s Best Wines
“The grape of Macabeo is majorly used in the preparation of mildly acidic as well as young white wines that are usually suitable for their early consumption or blending with the other varieties of wine…The wines made from Macabeo are dry in their nature and medium as to acidity.”
Invinic
“Viura is quite a versatile grape, and can make a range of wines including dry white wine, sweet wine and sparkling wine. Its typical flavour profile can range from fresh and floral to more weightier flavours including dried nuts and honey. How the Viura wine tastes will largely depend on where it is grown, when it is harvested (earlier harvested Viura will give the lighter, fresher flavour profile) and the style of wine being made.”
Catavino
“Another appealing characteristic of this Macabeo is that it can not only withstand oxidation, but it produces young, very light whites. Hence, regions like Rioja have replanted over 90% of their white varietals with Macabeo as the means to balance their regional portfolio filled with heavy, oak-aged wines.”
Wine Paradigm
“Modern barrel fermented Viura is rich and creamy with aromas of wild flowers, citrus and stone fruits, followed by flavors of grapefruit, lemon, apricot and pear. Oak contact contributes additional vanilla and toasty notes. Its body is generally full when barrel fermented (otherwise light to medium); its acidity is medium…at the end of the 1990s progressive winemakers began to produce Modern Oaked White Rioja by reverting back to lower yields and barrel fermenting Viura in oak, but without subsequently prolonged aging for years in cask – many are also matured on their lees for several months to add a creamy / yeasty richness. This modern approach plays to the strengths of Viura, which takes well to oak and is very different to those made in the Crisp style, while still retaining freshness. These modern wines are usually blends dominated by Viura with some Malvasia and/or Garnacha Blanca (aka Grenache Blanc) added for extra body and texture. They are rich and creamy with aromas of wild flowers, citrus and stone fruits, followed by flavors of grapefruit, lemon, apricot and pear, as well as notes of vanilla and toast contributed by the oak. They can be very elegant and develop more flavor intensity and complexity with age. Most should be drunk within a few years of release, but the best have good aging potential.”

Some Macabeos to Try

There are tons of more or less decent Macabeo/Viura bottlings out there, but rise above “decent” to at least fairly good and the selections—at reasonable prices, there being a lot of costly bottlings—shrinks fast. Here is what we could come up with.

For a Splurge

This web page is strictly compliant with the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML) Protocol v1.0 (Transitional) and the W3C Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Protocol v3 — because we care about interoperability. Click on the logos below to test us!

This page was last modified on Saturday, 30 October 2021, at 11:26 pm Pacific Time.

That Useful Wine Site