Canary Islands, an introduction.

After seeing a lot of questions about the Canary Islands lately I decided to set this up to help those interested with what I believe is the most exciting wine region in Spain.

Once I started thinking about how to write this I realized it wouldn’t be very helpful as a starting point to write an essay on soil types and microclimates, so I will instead write a list of the producers I think are achieving something in this region and leave the comments open for any more in depth questions.

Suertes del Marques (Tenerife): A family winery making wine since 2006, they had been working the vineyards and selling grapes to more industrial producers for 20 years. While the farming is minimalist the winemaking style is on the classic side for the islands, the reds are light and fluid with high acidity and a fair amount of tannic structure usually worked in neutral vessels (mostly concrete) while the whites betray Jonatan’s love for Burgundy, following a reductive winemaking approach often with heavy work with lees and old barrels. Wines to look out for: Trenzado (white), 7Fuentes (red), Vidoña VP (white), Malvasia Rosada (rose).

Envinate (Tenerife): Perhaps the biggest reason why the islands are suddenly on everyone’s radar, Envinate is a collective of four friends that met during oenology school and set out to make wine in different parts of Spain. After a stint at Suertes del Marques by one of their members they became convinced that this was one of the great terroirs of the world and started working alongside local farmers to find old plots in particular parts of the island. Envinate has become the most internationally famous producer in the islands (and perhaps in Spain), they work in a modern minimalist way, farming as naturally as posible and only adding SO2 when absolutely necessary. Their red wines are light and fluid, always with high acidity and when young a fairly strong volcanic side, the whites follow a similar line of fluidity and a strong volcanic presence but have more texture and salinity. Wines to look out for: Benje (white and red), Taganan (red), Palo Blanco (white).

Puro Rofe (Lanzarote): Somewhere in between a farmers co-op and winemakers collective, this project was started in 2017 by Rayco Fernandes who for years before was a negociant for small winemakers and farmers in Lanzarote. Lanzarote is a fabulous example of the environmental diversity the Canary Islands have, basically an alien landscape producing deeply concentrated wines. The styles are a bit more varied, however the reds find a bit more structure and muscle here than in Tenerife while the whites push further into salinity but often tied with aromatic profiles from the local Malvasia volcánica. Wines to look out for: Puro Rofe (white and red), Listan Mecánico (a collab with Eloi Cedo from Mallorca who happens to be one of my favourite winemakers)

Bimbache (El Hierro): As if winemaking in Lanzarote wasn’t hard enough Rayco Fernandes decided in 2018 to try his luck in El Hiero alongside a group of young talents looking to move the region forward. Decidedly more muscular, rustic wines, Bimbache showcases the variety of terroirs and grapes the islands have to offer. El Hierro itself is a Geopark/Biosphere reserve so they work within completely sustainable parameters to maintain their environment. Wines to look out for: John Stone (white and red), Bimbache (white and red).

Victoria Torres (La Palma): Maybe my absolute favourite winemaker in the islands, Vicky makes unapologetically free wines in some of the most complex terroirs I’ve ever seen. She makes a lot of cuvées in an effort to showcase the range of her island starting at 400m and ending at 1400m with vines as old as 100 years. Working from a vineyard first perspective her winemaking is as minimal as they come, she evolves vintage to vintage and isn’t afraid to change a wine to suit the year better. Wines to look out for: Clarete (red/white co-fermented), Malvasia Seco (white), El Tion (red), Ladera (red), Machuqueras (white).

I’m going to leave it at that for length reasons, there’s obviously a lot more winemakers that didn’t get mentioned but I wanted to cover different islands and producers that are (within the context of a tiny region producing responsibly) fairly available.

Honorable mentions go out to: Iñaki Garrido and Michael Candelario who make stunning wines but are near impossible to get. Bien de Altura and Taro who should be on the list but they’re a blind spot I will do my best to solve with a trip in the spring.

I’m happy to answer any and all questions to the best of my knowledge, and I’m sure others will be able to add more to it as well.