Which white grape from La Mancha region was formerly the world's most widely planted varietal?

• A. Chardonnay
• B. Sauvignon Blanc
• C. Airen
• D. Verdejo

Answer: (C)

Airén is the white grape tied to La Mancha that was once the world’s most widely planted varietal. Its defining feature is sheer productivity in hot, dry climates: it yields heavily and matures reliably, producing light, neutral wines that are easy to blend or distill for brandy. In the vast plains of central Spain, these qualities made Airén ideal for bulk wine production, driving its widespread planting for many decades. The grape’s lack of strong aromatic character and its suitability for high-volume, inexpensive wines stood in contrast to more aromatic or region-specific varieties. By comparison, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are international varieties not rooted in La Mancha’s bulk-wine history, and Verdejo comes from a different Spanish region (Rueda) with a very different profile.