Airén

Synonyms: valdepeñas (Ciudad Real), forcallat (Catalonia), andén (Albacete).

It is a Spanish white variety with late budding and ripening, which allows it to adapt well to warm climates. It has large bunches, one of the reasons for its expansion in Spain, where it is the most cultivated white grape. It is mainly grown in Castilla la Mancha.

It is known for its neutral aroma and taste. Some producers use this neutrality to try to show aromas and flavours coming from the soil or the winemaking method, so many of the best examples of this variety will be related to special winemaking processes where these external factors play an important role. The most common Airén wines are simple, pleasant and sensibly neutral, and some producers use selected yeasts to give them an extra expressiveness which they do not naturally have.