Viura

Viura is a dry, fresh white grape best known from Spain, particularly Rioja, where it’s used for everything from crisp young whites to richer, oak-aged wines. Expect green apple, pear and citrus with floral, herbal and sometimes nutty notes. It’s brilliant with seafood, grilled fish, roast chicken, tapas, salads and creamy pasta.

Taste:

Fresh and citrusy, with a surprisingly serious side when it wants one.

Young Viura is typically dry and light to medium-bodied, with refreshing acidity and flavours of green apple, pear, lemon and citrus. You might also find white flowers, herbs and a subtle almond or mineral edge.

But Viura can change character considerably with age and oak. Traditional oak-aged styles, particularly from Rioja, can become rounder and more complex, developing flavours of nuts, vanilla, honey and toast while keeping enough acidity to stay fresh.

Basically, Viura can do crisp terrace white and serious dinner-table wine. No need to pick a lane.

Food Pairings:

Viura’s freshness makes seafood an excellent place to start.

Try it with prawns, mussels, crab, grilled fish, cod, sea bass, calamari or seafood paella. It also works brilliantly with fish tacos and seafood dishes with lemon, garlic or fresh herbs.

For Spanish food, pair it with tapas such as garlic prawns, tortilla española, croquetas, grilled vegetables or lighter charcuterie.

It’s also a good match for roast chicken, grilled chicken and pork.

Creamier styles of Viura can handle richer dishes such as creamy chicken pasta, mushroom pasta, seafood pasta or mushroom risotto.

For lighter meals, try salads, grilled vegetables or goat’s cheese, while Manchego works particularly well with richer, more mature examples.

Similar Wines:

If you enjoy Viura, Verdejo is a great next move for another Spanish white with fresh citrus, herbs and plenty of acidity.

Albariño brings more coastal freshness and saline character, while Gavi offers a similarly crisp combination of citrus, green fruit and minerality from Italy.

Viura also plays an important role in Cava, where the grape is usually known as Macabeo.

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More About Viura:

Viura is the name commonly used in Rioja for the grape known elsewhere in Spain as Macabeo.

It’s one of the country’s most widely planted white varieties and is particularly important in Rioja, Catalonia and other parts of northeastern Spain.

In Rioja, Viura has a long history of producing both fresh young whites and wines capable of ageing in oak and bottle. Under the name Macabeo, it’s also one of the traditional grapes used to make Cava alongside Xarel-lo and Parellada.

Viura. Macabeo. Still the same grape.

Spain clearly saw what the red grapes were doing with multiple aliases and didn't want the whites feeling left out.