Which is the world’s most planted grape variety?
It is a common question in wine quizzes, since few have heard about the obscure grape. It is a Spanish white grape variety (unless it has changed recently, plantings have decreased): airen. It produces large quantities of anonymous wine in central Spain. More interesting and noteworthy are the wines from the biggest red grape variety, tempranillo.
Here are the most grown Spanish grape varieties:
Red grapes:
- tempranillo, 207 000 ha
- garnacha tinta, 75 000
- [update] monastrel/mourvedre, this was missing in the original post. According to OWC it has 63 000 ha and to another source 43 000 ha. (Thanks Vincent!)
- cabernet sauvignon, 19 000
- merlot, 13 000
- graciano, 1 500
White grapes:
- airen, 284 000 ha
- verdejo blanco, 11 000
- pedro ximenes, 9 600
- xarel-lo, 8 000
- chardonnay, 5 400
- albarino, 5 300
- trexadura, 840
(Source: Observatoria Espanol del Mercado de Vin, Drinks Business)
