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Airen is a drought-resistant white wine grape and is planted throughout central Spain, occupying about twice as much land as any other variety. Airen traditionally was used to produce base wines for Spain's brandy industry, and to produce oxidized, alcoholic white wines for local consumption. It was also blended with Cencibel (the local clone of Tempranillo) to produce a light red wine. Recently however, with careful handling and improved vinification, Airen has been used to create simple, refreshing, dry white wines of reasonable quality. The vines are the principal grape variety of the La Mancha and Valdepenas wine regions.
Hardy and tolerant of hot, dry conditions, Airen was widely planted in these regions where the ability to produce a crop with low maintenance in the vineyard was paramount, and took precedence over palatability. Modern preference for lighter, fruitier wines has seen its importance drop, although the need for low maintenance still exists as the characteristics of the region make mechanization difficult. The low productivity of the regions means that although Airen is planted over more land area than any other in the world, the yield in liters of wine is relatively low.
Airen is sometimes known as Valdepenas and Manchega, after the regions where it is grown.
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