Island Wines part 4: Tenerife

Pushing boundaries, that's what we promise, and that's exactly what we'll be doing this year.
The holy trinity is gaining a fourth member. My fondness for island wines was already clear after previous discoveries from Sicily, Corsica, and Mallorca. But after an intense search, we are extremely proud to now introduce a new region to you. Get acquainted with wines from Tenerife and the Canary Islands.

Isla Bonita

Who are we to contradict Madonna's wise words when it comes to one of Europe's most beautiful natural areas?
Let's start at the beginning. The Canary Islands are an archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Morocco. So, quite a bit south of Europe, yet officially part of Spain. Formed millions of years ago as a result of volcanic eruptions, this island group consists of 7 islands: Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and El Hierro. In another blog, we would now go through them one by one to discuss the beautiful unspoiled nature, give hotspots, and tips for nice terraces. But our focus and eye are on only one goal: we are looking for the best glass of wine. And so, in this blog, I will mainly focus on Tenerife: this is the largest and by far the best-known island in terms of viticulture and tourism in this area.

It's no longer a secret that with the current climate shift, the search for freshness and coolness has become a quest much like that for the Holy Grail. Cooling in the vineyards will lead to more acidity and balance, and ultimately to more complexity in the glass. At least, if there's enough sun to balance it out, and the occasional drop of rain. In terms of climatic conditions, we are in the Garden of Eden here. Mild winters between 18-22°C, summers that bring sufficient cooling at night. And rain zones concentrated between October and March, a period when the vines crave nourishment the most. Add to this the dizzying altitudes you can find on one of the volcanic slopes, and you have everything to do something amazing. The highest vineyards can be found here at 1,700m! And knowing that the temperature drops by an average of 1°C per 100m of altitude, this is the only reason viticulture is possible so close to the equator. Can you feel us building towards a climax?

Phylowhat?

The reason I love island wines so much is that in these environments, you can find pure and authentic grapes. The ever-feared grape phylloxera, Phylloxera Vastatrix, due to the isolated location and dominant sandy soil here, has never truly broken through in this region. Each island can boast its typical grape and unique taste, making these wines a must-try for any wine lover. I can now check off three, and only need to cross out one name. And that name immediately brings us to the most important grape of the island: Listán.
Listán Negro (the red variety), Listán Blanco (aka Palomino Fino, known from Sherry), and Listán Prieto (País overseas in Chile and Argentina).

Is everyone still with me? Great! Then let's immediately add some more similar-sounding grapes to the list: Malvasia Aromatica, Malvasia Volcanica, and Malvasia Rosada. More options? Babosa also exists here in negro and blanco. I won't go through all of them, but maybe a few more grapes that could help in a game of Scrabble: Marmajuelo, Burrablanca, Sabro, Pedro Ximenez, and Vijariego (of course also available in negro and blanco).

Viticulture

Without detracting from the quality of the other islands, I deliberately focus on Tenerife because it is not only the largest in terms of production, but it also has the highest number of appellations, grape varieties, and diverse soils due to the presence of a volcano right in the middle of the island: El Teide. In total, there are about 8,000 hectares of vines planted in Tenerife, with altitude differences ranging from 0-1700m. A large majority (approx. 73%) is classified as appellation wine. These can be divided into 5 regions: Ycoden-Daute-Isora, Valle de la Orotava, and Tacoronte-Acentejo in the North, and Abona and Valle de Güimar in the South. The difference between North and South is quite drastic, due to a very specific weather phenomenon locally called 'el mar de nubes', loosely translated as 'sea of clouds'.

It is the case that moist and cooler winds come from the North, but these are blocked by the high mountain peaks of El Teide. Hence, there is a bit more rain here, and the slopes are also slightly less concentrated on volcanic rock, with sand being more dominant here. Historically, more white grape varieties are planted in the South (= ripen faster here), and the soil is also different with more focus on volcanic soil, which results in wines with a slightly nicer acidity and salinity. We are happy to review the characteristics of the five regions.

Meet the Winemaker: Juan Francisco Fariña Perez

It's high time to meet our discovery. Juan Francisco has vineyards in Valle de Güímar, where he started his adventure in 2000. Many nearby colleagues look up to him for his direct approach in the vineyards and his progressive way of embracing nature and winemaking as closely as possible. Together with other winemakers, he was also one of the pioneers in making Listán and this terroir a DO (official designation of origin), which happened in 1996. The vines are spread between 700-800m, about 10 km from the coast, which results in beneficial cooling from the sea (called Alisios wind). The wines are produced a stone's throw from Arafo. This is a tiny village where some Listán Blanco and Albillo are grown. Other plots are a bit higher and more challenging to visit and especially to work in. The highest are at 1,400m altitude in an area called Las Dehesas. Here grow the grapes for his famous 'La Bota de Mateo' (a solera-type wine, aged in Sherry barrels).

The most common wine on the estate is 'Los Loros'. A collective name for wines from all vineyards, and Los Loros refers to the numerous laurel plants growing between the vines and on the hills. Since it is almost impossible to maintain all his vineyards himself (the steep slopes and sometimes difficult-to-reach places), he is assisted by some local farmers/colleagues with whom he shares vines or who are maintained by several winemakers. Of course, still following Juan Francisco's strict quality requirements.
In terms of vinification, Juan Francisco is certainly not afraid to occasionally allow some skin maceration to achieve more structure in the wines. Only indigenous yeasts are used, and he is also a strong proponent of French oak (min. 500L) or sometimes some specific barrels (Manzanilla cask for La Bota de Mateo). The fact that he treats each wine parcel by parcel, and that due to the many different grapes all wines taste so different, makes it particularly difficult for me to choose one favorite wine. But if I may trigger you, the reader, towards a very intriguing bottle that incorporates the entire island story, let it be the Los Loros 'Vijariego'. A prime example of pristine beauty and minerality, but one that makes your palate tingle with acidity, bitterness, and finish. In short, do you want to taste these wines? Then don't wait too long, because this story is unique and unfortunately very limited.