White wine grape · Vitis vinifera
A white wine grape strongly associated with Spain's La Mancha, whose ultimate origin is described differently by the two institutional references.
Plantgrape describes Airén as coming from Spain or North Africa and mainly grown in Spain's La Mancha region. UC Davis FPS independently lists Spain as its country of origin and identifies it as a white wine grape. The wider origin alternative is retained rather than presenting one undisputed birthplace.
Plantgrape describes Airén as productive, vigorous and drooping, and says it tolerates hot, dry summers, even in poor soils, when planted at low density. That planting qualification remains attached to the observation: it does not establish a universal drought ranking, irrigation requirement or recommended vine spacing.
UC Davis FPS records Lairén, Manchega and Forcallat blanca among historical synonyms, while Plantgrape recognizes no official synonym for propagation material in France or the European Union. FPS documents a Spanish selection imported in 1980 and another donation from a Portuguese nursery in 2004. The nursery's location is a material-source history, not evidence of Portuguese cultivar origin or equivalent vineyard performance.
Reference review · November 9, 2026
INRAE / IFV cultivar reference. Vine-trait observations belong to this reference's context; they are not universal planting or irrigation recommendations.
Independent institutional variety record used to cross-check cultivar identity and naming. It does not independently validate every agronomic observation in Plantgrape.
Cultivar descriptions are source-attributed reference material, not site prescriptions. No numeric soil-moisture threshold, disease diagnosis, regional suitability guarantee or GroundWorx performance claim is established here.