Bodegas Viñátigo receives recognition from Turismo de Tenerife for its commitment to sustainable gastronomy

The Tenerife winery's wine project receives the award for Best Practice Linked to Sustainable Gastronomy Projects at the 8th Sustainable Tourism Practices Competition.

There are awards that recognise a specific action, and others that endorse a way of understanding and engaging with a territory. The distinction granted to Bodegas Viñátigo by Turismo de Tenerife belongs to the latter category.

Our winery, located in La Guancha, has been honoured with the award for Best Practice Linked to Sustainable Gastronomy Projects at the 8th Sustainable Tourism Practices Competition, organised by Turismo de Tenerife, an entity under the Island Council of Tenerife. The competition, which this year brought together a total of 38 entries, recognises initiatives capable of transforming the tourism sector through innovation, efficiency, and respect for the territory.

Our award-winning initiative, entitled "Viñátigo, a Sustainable Wine Project," was recognised for integrating the recovery of winegrowing heritage, scientific research, and environmentally responsible agricultural practices, demonstrating that gastronomic excellence and sustainability can move forward hand in hand.

As highlighted by Turismo de Tenerife during the awards ceremony, Viñátigo's initiative combines "the recovery of local grape varieties, research, and environmentally respectful agricultural practices," while also incorporating its own compost production, photovoltaic energy, and water-saving measures that reinforce a production model deeply rooted in the land.

More than three decades building our own model

For those familiar with our journey, this recognition does not represent a starting point, but rather the confirmation of a path that began more than thirty years ago.

Since our foundation, we have been committed to recovering native grape varieties on the verge of disappearing, championing the uniqueness of Canary Islands viticulture, and demonstrating that identity can become a tool for international competitiveness.

In the words of Juan Jesús Méndez Siverio, founder and director of Bodegas Viñátigo:

"At Viñátigo, sustainability and innovation are neither recent concepts nor a response to current trends. They have been part of our project since the very beginning. We are a company born from a family with generations of winemaking tradition, and we have built our path by relying on what makes us unique: our territory, our native grape varieties, and more than five centuries of winegrowing history."

This philosophy has enabled Viñátigo wines to be present today in fine dining establishments across more than thirty countries, acting as true ambassadors of Tenerife and the wine culture of the Canary Islands.

Sustainability as a way of working

The initiative recognised by Turismo de Tenerife is built upon concrete and measurable actions that form part of the winery's daily operations.

Viticulture developed under regenerative principles across all of our vineyards; the reuse of one hundred percent of the water used in our processes; energy self-sufficiency based on renewable sources; the composting of organic waste; and architecture designed to integrate into the landscape while minimising environmental impact are some of the pillars of a model built on consistency and conviction.

As reflected in the winery's own philosophy:

"We want you to taste Tenerife, not an oenological artifice."

Sustainability, the recovery of native grape varieties, and respect for the environment are inseparable elements of every wine produced by Viñátigo.

A recognition with a collective purpose

During the award ceremony, our winery director, Juan Jesús Méndez, emphasised the value that initiatives like this have for the territory as a whole:

"We firmly believe that sustainability is not a complementary objective, but rather the essential condition for preserving what gives meaning to our activity and for continuing to generate value for Tenerife."

Viñátigo's director expressed his particular gratitude to Turismo de Tenerife and the Island Council for creating a competition that gives visibility to projects capable of inspiring new forms of tourism development.

"This recognition encourages us to continue demonstrating that identity, excellence, and sustainability can—and must—move forward together."

The future of wine depends on caring for the place where it is born

At a time when travellers increasingly seek authentic experiences connected to local culture and committed to the environment, sustainable gastronomy is emerging as one of the greatest opportunities for tourism destinations.

Tenerife possesses one of its greatest strengths in its agricultural and gastronomic heritage. Projects such as Bodegas Viñátigo demonstrate that preserving unique grape varieties, protecting agricultural landscapes, conducting research, innovating, and generating local prosperity are not incompatible objectives, but rather parts of the same strategy.

Because the true luxury of the future will be precisely that which cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world: a landscape, a culture, centuries-old grape varieties, and the ability to transform them into wines that tell the story of an island.

And within that story, Viñátigo has spent more than three decades demonstrating that sustainability is not a distant destination, but a way of moving forward.