The Winery Mallorca Senses of La Palma of Iles Canaries

When I started my nomadic winemaking project, in 2018 at Niepoort Vinhos in Portugal’s Douro region, I had no idea how large a part Spain would go on to play – I certainly never intended to make it the locus of my project. So how did it happen? Yes, there was an element of chance and taking opportunities where they arose. But also, among the talented winemakers to whom I pitched collaborations, I sensed an openness and a readiness to collaborate which seemed particular to Spain. Held in June las ...

On 19 September 2021, the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge in the island of La Palma, Spain began a massive, three-month long eruption, that was a catastrophic event for this westward island in the Canarias. The volcanic fumes caused breathing problems as well as the cancellation of flights and fruit harvests, including grapes. Despite 7,000 people needing evacuation from the flow of the lava, there was only one fatality during the entire eruption. As the lava flow eventually covered over 1,000ha, mo ...

“Origen 1989” by Bodega el Lomo is a wine made from the certified parcel of, “Los Laureles”, a 12ha vineyard at 600m of altitude that holds centenary bush vines. It’s the first wine certified under this new system, having just arrived to market this month with others to come in the near future. While the DO Islas Canarias covers the entire territory of these eight Spanish islands off the western coast of Africa, there are 10 other DOs that govern the wines of certai ...