Airén
Encyclopedia
Airén is a variety of Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran....

, a white grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...

 commonly used in winemaking. This grape is native to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 where it represents about 30% of all grapes grown. As of 2004, Airén was estimated to be the world's most grown grape variety in terms of planted surface, at 306000 hectares (756,141.8 acre), although it is almost exclusively found in Spain. Since Airén tends to be planted at a low density, several other varieties (including Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...

 and Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...

) are more planted in terms of number of vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...

s. Plantations of Airén are declining as it is being replaced in Spanish vineyards with various red varieties, such as Tempranillo
Tempranillo
Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja, and is often referred to as Spain's "noble grape". Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano , a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks...

.

Other Names for Airén

Airén is also known by the following other names:
  • Aidén (in Albacete
    Albacete
    Albacete is a city and municipality in southeastern Spain, 258 km southeast of Madrid, the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The municipality had a population of c. 169,700 in 2009....

    )
  • Lairén (in Córdoba
    Córdoba, Spain
    -History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...

    )
  • Manchega (in Albacete
    Albacete
    Albacete is a city and municipality in southeastern Spain, 258 km southeast of Madrid, the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The municipality had a population of c. 169,700 in 2009....

    )
  • Valdepeñera or Valdepeñas (in Ciudad Real
    Ciudad Real
    Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...

    )
  • Forcayat (in Catalonia
    Catalonia
    Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...

    )

General Information

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.

Airen in Japanese means Perfect Love or soulmate. In Chinese it means lover.

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
Gabriel Alonso de Herrera
Gabriel Alonso de Herrera was a Spanish author, best known for his Obra de Agricultura , published in 1513 under the patronage of Cardinal Cisneros....

’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
La Mancha
La Mancha is a natural and historical region or greater comarca located on an arid, fertile, elevated plateau of central Spain, south of Madrid, stretching between the Montes de Toledo and the western spurs of the Serrania de Cuenca. It is bounded on the south by the Sierra Morena and on the north...

 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
Sanlúcar
Sanlúcar may refer to:*Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz, Spain*Manolo Sanlúcar, flamenco composer and guitarist*Sanlúcar la Mayor, Sevilla, Spain...

, Xerez, Trebujena
Trebujena
-External links:* - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía* - Trebujena.net, The forum, the pictures and the news of Trebujena....

, Arcos
Arcos
-Portugal:* Arcos , a civil parish in the municipality of Anadia* Arcos , a civil parish in the municipality of Braga* Arcos , a civil parish in the municipality of Estremoz...

, Espera
Espera
Espera is a city located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 3,909 inhabitants.-Demographics:- External links :* - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía...

, Moguer
Moguer
Moguer is a municipality and small city located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 18,381. Its surface area is , and its population density is ....

, Tarifa
Tarifa
Tarifa is a small town in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, on the southernmost coast of Spain. The town is located on the Costa de la Luz and across the Straits of Gibraltar facing Morocco. The municipality includes Punta de Tarifa, the southernmost point in continental Europe. There are five...

 and Paxarete. He also mentions that it is grown in Valdepeñas
Valdepeñas
Valdepeñas is a municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is also the seat of the judicial district that covers the localities of Moral de Calatrava, Santa Cruz de Mudela, Viso del Marqués, Torrenueva, Castellar de Santiago and...

 and Manzanares
Manzanares
The Manzanares is a river in central Spain, which flows from the Sierra de Guadarrama, passes through Madrid, and eventually empties into the Jarama river.-Course:...

, where it gives excellent wines for the production of exquisite spirits. The second reference by Roxas Clemente to Layrén states that 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
Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...

, Arcos, Espera, Moguer, Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...

, Motril
Motril
Motril is a town and municipality on the Mediterranean coast in the province of Granada, Spain.Motril is the second largest town in the province, with a population of 59,163 as of 2008...

, Albuñol
Albuñol
Albuñol is a city located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 6.270 inhabitants.- HISTORY :...

, Adra
Adra
Adra may refer to:places:*Adra, Spain – municipality in Almería , Andalusia*Adra, Purulia – town in the state of West Bengal, India*Adra, Syria – town approximately 40 km north of Damascus...

 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
Cáceres, Spain
Cáceres is the capital of the same name province, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. , its population was 91,131 inhabitants. The municipio has a land area of 1,750.33 km², and is the largest in geographical extension in Spain....

, Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...

, Málaga, Sevilla and Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...

, where it was known as Lairén.

In 1914, García de los Salmones mentioned the cultivation of Lairén in Madrid, Villacañas
Villacañas
Villacañas is a municipality located in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 10208 inhabitants.-External links:*...

 (Toledo), Tarancón
Tarancón
Tarancón is a municipality located in the province of Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 12,696 inhabitants....

 (Cuenca), Campo de Criptana
Campo de Criptana
Campo de Criptana is a municipality and town in the province of Ciudad Real in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha . It is found in the region known as La Mancha.-Historical development:...

 (Ciudad Real), Frejenal de la Sierra (Badajoz), Montefrío (Granada), Baeza
Baeza
Baeza is a town of approximately 16,200 inhabitants in Andalusia, Spain, in the province of Jaén, perched on a cliff in the Loma de Baeza, a mountain range between the river Guadalquivir on the south and its tributary the Guadalimar on the north. It is chiefly known today as having many of the...

 (Jaén), Coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....

 (Málaga), Fiñana
Fiñana
-External links: - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía - Diputación Provincial de Almería...

 (Almería), Cazalla de la Sierra
Cazalla de la Sierra
Cazalla de la Sierra is a small town in the province of Seville, in southern Spain. It is located in the foothills of the Sierra Morena, which acts as a border between the region of Andalusia and the regions of Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha....

 (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
Jancis Robinson
Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, MW is a British wine critic, journalist and editor of wine literature. She currently writes a weekly column for the Financial Times, and writes for her website jancisrobinson.com...

’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
Grenache
Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...

) with 317.500 ha, Mazuelo with 244.330 ha, Ugni Blanc with 203.400 ha, Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...

 with 162.200 ha and Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...

 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
Valdepeñas
Valdepeñas is a municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is also the seat of the judicial district that covers the localities of Moral de Calatrava, Santa Cruz de Mudela, Viso del Marqués, Torrenueva, Castellar de Santiago and...

 and La Mancha
La Mancha
La Mancha is a natural and historical region or greater comarca located on an arid, fertile, elevated plateau of central Spain, south of Madrid, stretching between the Montes de Toledo and the western spurs of the Serrania de Cuenca. It is bounded on the south by the Sierra Morena and on the north...

 DO's, very abundant in the provinces of Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...

, Toledo
Toledo (province)
Toledo is a province of central Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It is bordered by the provinces of Madrid, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Badajoz, Cáceres, and Ávila....

, and only slightly less so in Albacete
Albacete
Albacete is a city and municipality in southeastern Spain, 258 km southeast of Madrid, the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The municipality had a population of c. 169,700 in 2009....

 and Cuenca
Cuenca (province)
Cuenca is a province of central Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha.-Guide to the area:Located in a natural setting of beauty, the Old Town of Cuenca occupies a superb site between two river gorges. Famous are its 15th Century "hanging houses" , that appear...

. It can also be found significantly in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

 and as far south as Montilla-Moriles
Montilla-Moriles
Montilla-Moriles is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in the southern part of the province of Córdoba...

.

Viticulture and Uses

Airén is allowed in the following DO's: Alicante
Alicante (DO)
Alicante is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in the province of Alicante ....

, Bullas
Bullas (DO)
Bullas is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in the region of Murcia and covers the territories of eight different municipalities, including Caravaca de la Cruz, Moratalla and Bullas itself...

, Jumilla
Jumilla (DO)
Jumilla is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines that extends over the north of the region of Murcia, including the municipality of Jumilla —from which it takes its name— and the contiguous southeast of the Albacete province in the Castile-La Mancha region.There are currently 32,000...

, La Mancha
La Mancha (DO)
La Mancha is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines, with over 190,000 ha planted to vines, and is the largest continuous vine-growing area in the world. It is located in the autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha in central Spain and includes 182 municipalities: 12 in the province of...

, Valdepeñas
Valdepeñas (DO)
Valdepeñas is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in the province of Ciudad Real in the south of Castile-La Mancha...

 and Vinos de Madrid
Vinos de Madrid
Vinos de Madrid is a Spanish Denominación de Origen is located in the southern part of the province of Madrid . It covers 54 municipalities and is divided into 3 sub-zones which each produce different types of wine.-History:The first documented evidence of wine production in the area dates from...

. As Layrén it is allowed in Montilla-Moriles
Montilla-Moriles
Montilla-Moriles is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in the southern part of the province of Córdoba...

.

The Airén vine is commonly planted an unusually low vine density, around 1500 vines per hectare, and its vineyards cover vast areas. However, 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. A consequence of this is that its principal use has generally been in the manufacture of brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...

. This grape is the main variety in Vinos de Madrid DO.

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.
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