READ · COMPARE · EXPLAIN
Airén: La Mancha White and Night Harvest
We study La Mancha's Airén grape using materials for Alto Vera white wines. Read each process: night harvesting, brief skin contact, and temperature-controlled fermentation, as separate steps.
Questions for this course
Can the temperature of grapes be kept low even for whites from hot regions?
Before you start reading, briefly jot down your thoughts. You will rephrase them at the end.
To applied practice using the material ↓
To explanation task notes ↓Airén / Learning from grape varieties
Synonym/Label: Airén
Update date: 2026-09-24
White grape varieties of La Mancha
Airén is a white grape variety listed in the official varieties of La Mancha. Alto Vela releases a white wine from La Mancha DOP using this variety. By checking the raw materials in the local variety list and reading winemaking from a single product document, you can distinguish between the region as a whole and producer choices.
Night harvesting is used to control temperature.
The Altuvera product description says that harvesting is done at night by machine, and the grapes are brought into the winery at 8–10 °C. Then, after 8 hours of skin contact at 10 °C, they are pressed. Just because it is a hot region does not mean the grapes ferment at high temperatures.
Separating skin contact from fermentation.
Fermentation of the same product takes place in stainless steel tanks at 16°C for 18 to 20 days. The 8-hour skin contact before pressing and the fermentation after pressing are separate stages. Read this material as a product introduction that is not limited to a single vintage, and do not treat all of its details as mandatory for every Airén.
What to align and what to compare.
Handling of ingredients.
- Conditions to standardize
- Airén
- Conditions for comparison.
- Nighttime mechanical harvesting / Pressed juice fermentation
- Additional points to confirm
- Did you separate the temperatures for harvest and fermentation?
Temperature
- Conditions to standardize
- Airén
- Conditions for comparison.
- Reception at 8–10°C, skin contact at 10°C / fermentation at 16°C
- Additional points to confirm
- Did you distinguish between skin contact and fermentation?
Time
- Conditions to standardize
- Airén
- Conditions for comparison.
- 8 hours skin contact / 18–20 days of fermentation
- Additional points to confirm
- Did you avoid extending a product's specifications to the entire grape variety?
Order of reading and key points to consider in each article
0 / 3 articles completed
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- 1↗
Spain
Spain from the Atlantic, plateau, and Mediterranean perspective
Read the regions and topography of the central area.
- 2↗
Spain
Connect major varieties to regions and winemaking processes.
Compare Spanish White Varieties.
- 3↗
Italy
Extraction from the skins and barrel aging
Confirming skin contact based on process steps.
READ · HYPOTHESIZE · RECONSIDER
Reading Airén Materials: La Mancha White and Night Harvest
The document below organizes learning material based on the sources listed at the end. Before answering the questions, make sure you understand what is being compared between the two columns.
This is a summary of regions, grape varieties, and methods as confirmed in the source. Where specific products or vintages are referenced, the target is clearly stated.
| Items for Comparison | Before pressing at Altuvera | After pressing of the same product |
|---|---|---|
| Handling of ingredients. | Nighttime mechanical harvesting | Fermentation of pressed juice |
| Temperature | Reception at 8–10°C, skin contact at 10°C | Fermentation at 16℃ |
| Time | 8 hours skin contact | Fermentation for 18–20 days |
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Read the explanation for each question
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What aim for nighttime harvesting can be inferred from the sources?
At Altuvera, night harvesting and delivery at 8–10 °C are specified. This is a temperature control process for the fruit, not freezing harvest or distillation. By separating the climate of the region from the temperature management chosen by the producer after harvest, you can concretely read white winemaking methods.
Which process does the figure of 8 hours refer to?
8 hours refers to the period of skin contact at 10°C. After that, the grapes are pressed, and the resulting juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks. Be sure not to switch the order of skin contact and fermentation, and confirm whether the step involves the whole fruit or just the juice when listing the winemaking processes.
Is fermentation at 16°C a condition for all Airén?
16°C is the fermentation temperature listed in the product description for Alto Vela. Even if the grape variety is the same, the temperature and vessel chosen by the producer, or the way of harvesting, may differ. When comparing with another Airén, refer to data for that specific wine and record how much the conditions match.
Basis and sources for the exercise
Practice exercises in comparison
The document below organizes learning material based on the sources listed at the end. Before answering the questions, make sure you understand what is being compared between the two columns.
Read examples of organizing comparisons
| Conditions for Comparison | Before pressing at Altuvera | After pressing of the same product |
|---|---|---|
| Handling of ingredients. | Nighttime mechanical harvesting | Fermentation of pressed juice |
| Temperature | Reception at 8–10°C, skin contact at 10°C | Fermentation at 16℃ |
| Time | 8 hours skin contact | Fermentation for 18–20 days |
This is an organized study tool based on the designated articles for this course. You can check specific facts and sources in each article.
Explain in your own words
Explain the differences between Altuvera before pressing and after pressing the same product, listing the relevant factors among grape variety, region, and winemaking.
Check after writing
- Did you separate the temperatures for harvest and fermentation?
- Did you distinguish between skin contact and fermentation?
- Did you avoid extending a product's specifications to the entire grape variety?
Save response to explanation task
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