Airén is a variety of ''
Vitis vinifera
''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern ...
'', a white
grape
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...
commonly used in winemaking. This grape is native to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
where it represents almost a quarter of all grapes grown. As of 2017, Airén was estimated to be the world's fourth most grown wine grape variety in terms of planted surface, at , an increase from in 2004, where it held 1st place, although it is almost exclusively found in Spain.
[Distribution of the world’s grapevine varieties](_blank)
International organization of vine and wine, Focus OIV 2017
Since Airén tends to be planted at a low density, several other varieties (including
Cabernet Sauvignon and
Merlot) are more planted in terms of number of
vine
A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...
s.
Description
The grapes have a cotton-like bud burst, which is bronze or yellowish in colour, with light reddish edge, and not very intense at the tip. The grapes have a trailing growing habit. The leaves of the Airén are average in size and have a pentagonal shape. The lower lateral sinuses are less marked than the upper ones and the upper face of the leaf is yellowish green in color while the lower face is velvety. The grape bunch is large in size and has an average compactness. It can grow in two different shapes: cylindrical or as a long cone. The grapes are large and spherical and have a yellowish color. The grapes are late to bud burst and also late to ripen. They yield about 4.5 to 6 kg per vine. Further, this grape is very resistant to drought and the base buds are fertile and thus resists very short pruning and still have acceptable yields.
History
The first recorded mention of Airén was in 1615. In the 15th century it was known as Lairén (as it is in the Córdoba region today) and is cited as such in
Gabriel Alonso de Herrera’s “Agricultura General”. This author however preferred to call it “Datileña” because the grapes were bunched together like dates. He confesses to not having tasted the wine but states that “it is not very strong nor does it have much body” and also that “it would be better to make raisins from these grapes as they are very shapely and abundant”.
In 1807,
Roxas Clemente describes two types of Layrén: the first is the one we know today as the modern Airén from
La Mancha and second is a table grape as described by Herrera as the Datileña. The first reference by Roxas Clemente mentions that Airén is also known as Mantúo Laerén and Laerén de Rey. He describes this variety as follows:
He says that this variety is grown in
Sanlúcar,
Xerez,
Trebujena,
Arcos,
Espera,
Moguer,
Tarifa and
Paxarete. He also mentions that it is grown in
Valdepeñas and
Manzanares, where it gives excellent wines for the production of exquisite spirits. The second reference by Roxas Clemente to Layrén states that this variety is synonymous to the Datileña. He describes it as:
This grape, according to Roxas Clemente, is used for the production of raisins and to mix its must with that of the Ximénez variety, and in 1807 was grown in Sanlúcar, Xerez, Trebujena,
Algeciras
Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...
, Arcos, Espera, Moguer,
Málaga
Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
,
Motril,
Albuñol,
Adra y Paxarete.
In 1885, Abela stated that Mantúo Laerén, apart from the areas mentioned by Roxas Clemente, was also grown in the region of Córdoba (known there as Mantúo Lairén) and in the areas around
Cáceres,
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real (, ) is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region.
It was founded as Villa Real in 1255 as a ro ...
, Málaga,
Sevilla and
Toledo, where it was known as Lairén.
In 1914, García de los Salmones mentioned the cultivation of Lairén in Madrid,
Villacañas (Toledo),
Tarancón (Cuenca),
Campo de Criptana (Ciudad Real),
Frejenal de la Sierra (Badajoz),
Montefrío (Granada),
Baeza (Jaén),
Coin
A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...
(Málaga),
Fiñana (Almería),
Cazalla de la Sierra (Sevilla), Espera (Cádiz) and Córdoba. And as Airén in Albacete.
In 1954, Marcilla defined the Airén variety as a typical vine in the La Mancha region, grown almost exclusively in that area. He described it as a
Of the wine made from these grapes he states:
He also mentions Lairén as being grown in Montilla (Córdoba) and in Extremadura.
In 1965, Fernández de Bobadilla described Mantúo Laerén as:
He says the following about its agronomic properties:
In 1976, Hidalgo described Airén as follows:
In the "Inventario Vitícola Nacional" by Hidalago and Rodríguez Candela (1971) Airén is cited as growing in Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Madrid, Málaga y Toledo. As Lairén is cited as growing in Córdoba, Jaén y Sevilla. As Valdepeñera or Airén grown in Albacete.
In
Jancis Robinson’s "Guía de Uvas para Vinificación" (1996) Airén is cited as the most grown variety of grape in the world: with 423.100 ha under cultivation, it exceeds Garnacha (
Grenache) with 317.500 ha,
Mazuelo with 244.330 ha,
Ugni blanc with 203.400 ha,
Merlot with 162.200 ha and
Cabernet Sauvignon with 146.200 ha. She comments that it is the most common variety in Spain, comprising 30% of all vines. It is absolutely dominant in the Valdepeñas area and in La Mancha. She also comments that in the south of Spain it is known as Lairén.
In his book "Cepas del Mundo" (1997),
José Peñín gives the origin of Airén as being in La Mancha, from where two thirds of all the grapes grown in Spain come from. It is absolutely the dominant variety in this region, especially so in Ciudad Real and Toledo, and slightly less so in Albacete and Cuenca. It can also be found further south in Montilla-Moriles. Peñín describes the wine made from Airén as follows:
Peñín goes on to comment on the agronomic characteristics:
From this bibliography, it can be observed that two types of Airén (Lairén or Layrén) are described: one is the variety extensively grown in La Mancha and which is cited in the first reference by Clemente, by Abela, by García de los Salmones, by Marcilla, by Hidalgo, by Jancis Robinson, and by Peñín. The second type of Airén (Layrén or Datileña) is a table grape used to produce raisins and which is described by Alonso de Herrera, in the second reference by Clemente, and by Fernández de Bobadilla. The first mention of the name Airén (currently the most widely used denomination to define this variety) is in the citation by García de los Salmones (1914) in the province of Albacete.
Regions
Airén is by far the most abundant in the
Valdepeñas and
La Mancha DOs, very abundant in the provinces of
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real (, ) is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region.
It was founded as Villa Real in 1255 as a ro ...
,
Toledo, and only slightly less so in
Albacete and
Cuenca. The low vine density of Airén in
La Mancha has led to it being the known as the largest area, planted to a single grape variety, in the world
It can also be found significantly in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
and as far south as
Montilla-Moriles
Montilla-Moriles is a Spanish Denominación de Origen, Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the southern part of the province of Province of Córdoba (Spain), Córdoba (Andalusia, Spain). It is bounded by the river Genil t ...
.
Viticulture and uses
Airén is allowed in the following DOs:
Alicante
Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...
,
Bullas,
Jumilla,
La Mancha,
Valdepeñas and
Vinos de Madrid. As ''Layrén'' it is allowed in
Montilla-Moriles
Montilla-Moriles is a Spanish Denominación de Origen, Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) for wines located in the southern part of the province of Province of Córdoba (Spain), Córdoba (Andalusia, Spain). It is bounded by the river Genil t ...
.
The Airén vine is commonly planted in unusually low vine density, around 1500 vines per hectare, which has a deleterious effect on wine quality as with any grape variety. Its vineyards cover vast areas but as trends in Spanish wine production move towards
red wine, a huge number of Airéns vines are being
uprooted, not least because the grape often produces an acidic and characterless wine, such as the wines produced from
La Mancha's Airén vines.
Due to the anonymous nature of Airén wines, its principal use has generally been in the manufacture of Spanish
brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
.
Synonyms
Airén is also known under the synonyms Aiden, Blancon, Forcallada, Forcallat, Forcallat blanca, Forcallat blanco, Forcayat, Forcellat bianca, Forcellat blanca, Laeren del Rey, Lairen, Layren, Manchega, Mantuo Laeren, Valdepenas, Valdepenera blanca, and Valdepenero.
[Airen](_blank)
, Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed on June 21, 2010
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Airen
White wine grape varieties
Grape varieties of Spain
Spanish wine