Viñátigo in Harpers.co.uk: “35 Years Interpreting Origin in the Volcanic Wines of the Canary Islands”

The British trade magazine Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News has recently published the article “Erupting popularity: Spain’s island wines,” written by Justin Keay, analyzing the growing international interest in wines from island territories such as the Canary Islands.

In this context, Bodegas Viñátigo has been one of the voices invited to reflect on the evolution of the sector, the value of indigenous grape varieties, and future challenges.

Through this interview, we share not only a trajectory of more than 35 years, but also a way of understanding wine: as a direct expression of the land, its history, and the people who work it.

You have just celebrated 35 years producing wine in Tenerife. What have been the biggest changes for you as a producer over this time?

Over the last 35 years, the biggest change has been the way we understand and value our own territory.

When we started, viticulture in the Canary Islands was considered marginal agriculture. Due to steep slopes and volcanic soils, vineyards were planted where nothing else could grow. This gave rise to what we now call heroic viticulture: small plots, extreme conditions, and enormous human effort. However, for a long time, this uniqueness was not perceived as an advantage.

In the 1980s and 1990s, there was also strong pressure to replace our local varieties with so-called “improving varieties,” based on the belief that native grapes could not produce high-quality wines. For Viñátigo, one of the greatest challenges—and one of our key decisions—was to resist this trend and commit to the recovery and preservation of our varieties. It was not the easiest path, but today it defines our identity.

Another major change has been knowledge. We started with a very artisanal approach, based on empirical experience, with limited technical tools and little local research. Over time, access to viticultural and oenological knowledge has allowed us to better understand our soils, climate, and varieties, enabling us to produce wines with much greater precision—wines that clearly express the volcanic landscape and Atlantic climate, within a more sustainable and respectful model.

Your wines celebrate indigenous varieties, some of them unique in the world. What makes them special and what do consumers value?

What truly makes the Canary Islands’ indigenous varieties special is that they represent a living viticultural heritage.

As phylloxera never reached the islands, our vines are pre-phylloxeric and ungrafted, and many have no genetic equivalents anywhere else. The Canary Islands are something like a “Jurassic Park” of grape varieties.

But it’s not just about rarity. These varieties are perfectly adapted to our volcanic soils, trade winds, and extreme altitudes. They have evolved over centuries to withstand drought, salinity, and poor soils, resulting in grapes with high natural acidity, low yields, and great aromatic complexity.

What consumers value most is that these wines are not generic. They are clearly Atlantic and volcanic: fresh, tense, mineral, with saline, smoky, and herbal notes. In an increasingly standardized world, they offer something truly unique.

Some wines like Lomo de la Era seem new. Can you tell us about these new developments?

These wines represent a natural evolution towards a deeper expression of place.

After years focused on recovering varieties, we can now interpret specific vineyards and landscapes. Lomo de la Era, Maipé de Taganana, and Ensamblaje Blanco explore this idea from different perspectives, but with a shared goal: to express Tenerife in its authenticity.

Lomo de la Era comes from a small plot of Listán Blanco grown using the traditional braided cordon system, where vines can exceed 20 meters in length. It is a precise and restrained wine, closely tied to the rhythm of the vineyard.

Maipé de Taganana originates in the Anaga massif, one of the island’s oldest geological areas, with iron-rich basaltic soils. The vines grow among rocks from an ancient volcanic landslide, resulting in a wine with great minerality, salinity, and Atlantic tension.

Ensamblaje Blanco, on the other hand, creates a dialogue between different indigenous white varieties, where each contributes acidity, texture, or structure to build a more complex expression of the island.

What are the biggest challenges ahead? Is climate change a major issue?

Climate change is one of the major challenges, but in the Canary Islands it is particularly complex.

We are already seeing higher temperatures, irregular rainfall, and longer drought periods. In a territory with shallow volcanic soils and limited water resources, this increases pressure on viticulture.

However, our old vines and indigenous varieties also give us an advantage. They have evolved under extreme conditions and show great resilience, especially to water stress.

The biggest challenge is to protect this fragile landscape and keep viticulture alive in these areas. Heroic viticulture is costly and vulnerable to rural abandonment. For us, sustainability is not only environmental but also social and cultural: if winegrowers disappear, vineyards disappear.

The future lies in adapting without losing identity.

With more than 200 wineries in the Canary Islands, how do you see the structure of the sector? Does a common entity make sense?

The Canary Islands are a very diverse region, but also very uneven in volume.

Tenerife accounts for nearly half of the wineries and production. Together with Lanzarote and La Palma, these three islands represent around 90% of the total. However, there are multiple independent appellations, which fragments communication.

In this sense, the DOP Islas Canarias is a very positive model. It allows wines to be classified by origin, region, island, municipality, or parcel, combining unity and diversity.

For a small territory, this structure is more coherent and effective. A common entity does not eliminate the identity of each island, but it does strengthen a clearer and stronger collective voice at an international level.

An identity that is finding its place today

The growing international interest in Canary Islands wines is no coincidence. As highlighted in the Harpers article itself, the market increasingly values origin, uniqueness, and authenticity over standardization.

At Viñátigo, this path began more than three decades ago with a clear conviction: that the future of Canary wine did not lie in imitating others, but in deepening what makes it unique.

Today, that idea not only remains—it is gaining recognition. Because, in the end, wine is not just what is in the glass. It is the place it comes from.