Though there is an incredible amount of the Airén grape planted in Spain and particularly in the La Mancha region, I was surprised that I had yet to try a Spanish white wine made from it. Airén has pretty much everything I like in a daily drinker, summer sipper, porch pounder, etc., type of wine: crisp refreshment at a humble price. It also had a slight creaminess in the middle, which kept the wine interesting and distinct. The specific wine I sampled was the pictured 2011 Santa Catalina Los Galanes Airén, but if you can't find that bottle I would seek out any examples of this grape if you need a change-of-pace from your regular white wine. It would be great with seafood and shellfish.
These wines were tasted at an industry seminar sponsored by D.O. La Mancha.
