As the wine harvest reaches its peak in the Northern Hemisphere, what are the top three grapes? Interestingly, despite the volume of wine produced globally, and the long-lived plantations / vineyards, there have been changes this millennium, with red grapes overtaking the white varieties. According to Adelaide University, the top grapes are the reds Cabernet Sauvignon (6.3 percent of the market) and Merlot (5.81%) with Tempranillo (4th) and Syrah (6th), split by the whites Airén (5.48 percent of the market) and Chardonnay (at 5th with 4.32%).

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Airén as one of three most common grape varieties? It is almost unknown as a variety outside central Spain. Unlike the much-pictured vineyards of France and Germany, it is grow in the drier, and less visited parts of Spain, normally with the vines as bushes rather than along wires. The vines are planted at a very low density, and are resistant to drought. So there are good agronomic reasons for growing this productive and sweet variety, although it does not keep fresh for more than a few hours off the vine, as well as having many seeds. The Airen juice is mostly fermented and distilled for brandy or fortifying drinks such as sherry and port. The seeds themselves are crushed to give a reasonably valuable co-product of grapeseed oil. Some of the wine is blended, but a small but increasing proportion is used as a varietal wine. With careful control of fermentation, sugar and particularly avoidance of acidity, the Airén grape can give a dry and crisp, but not particularly fruity, white-wine that is drunk young and cool but not cold.

The video here shows the processes of hauling the grapes to the Cooperative Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, Sociedad Cooperativa de Castilla La Mancha where they are weighed, sampled for sugar content and then crushed.