History of the Designation of Origin Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria is the label of appellation for all wines produced in the island.
Those produced in El Monte are included though they are distinguished by the peculiar geographical, climatic and historical features of the area. The island’s vineyards are usually divide in small plots especially in the areas of medianías within 300 and 1000 meters, and in the mountain tops of the island. The geographical frame is wide but vine-growing is not widely practised due to property fragmentation.

The wine producing region of El Monte Lentiscal sits between the Natural Site of Bandama and the area of Tafira -protected under the Canarian law of natural landscape within the communes of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Telde and Santa Brígida.

Vines can be grown using different methods: they can be pruned in the shape of a cup or left to grow low on the ground forming rows. Such methods usually enhance the quality of the resulting wine. Trellising-lifting the plant from the ground with a frame of latticework- is another method currently spreading.

Wines under the appellation of Gran Canaria included those from the commune of El Monte Lentiscal are mostly red wines made with traditional grape varieties such as listán negro, negramoll, tintilla, castellana and malvasía rosa, but the most common is listán negro. The authorised white varieties are malvasía, albillo, güal, pedro ximénez, marmajuelo, breval, vijariego, albillo, moscatel and listán blanco amongst others, the latest being the most common due to its high productivity.

All wine produced in Gran Canaria is made in 55 cellars - which belong to the Consejo Regulador de Gran Canaria, an institution responsible of regulating vine-growing, protecting growers and wine-keepers as well as controlling their activities in order to guarantee the quality of product under the appellation of Gran Canaria. Youth is Gran Canarian wine’s main virtue.

The total surface currently occupied by vineyards is about 230 hectares. Around 550.000 kilos of grapes are produced, mostly of the type listán negro.

The grape harvest is done between July and October. Only healthy grapes are selected to elaborate the protected wines. The amount of beverage produced amounts to some 400.000 litres, which are bottled in the small 55 family cellars.

Most wines found in the market under the Gran Canaria appellation are red and dry white wines which are mostly consumed by local demand given the short production.

Gran Canaria wine has a hopeful future. The persistent effort of Canarian growers together with the decisive backing of the local authorities has given way not only to an extension of arable land destined to vine-growing but also to a modernization of infrastructure.

Such improvements assure the highest quality of Gran Canarian wines.

Gran Canaria has not yet given all it can give to the world of wine, the future waits with many possibilities beyond local markets. Sheltered under the comparative advantage of being a traditionally produced drink, Gran Canaria wine might successfully enter foreign markets and give itself a good reputation.

All the mentioned achievements in the island’s wine production are further backed by EU project VINUM EST, a project that promotes the interplay of small European wine areas in order to protect and enhance the variety and individuality of their wines, lands and cultures.
The inclusion of Gran Canaria in such a project greatly reinforces the effort to recover wine production which plays a main role in controlling and preserving the environmental balance of Gran Canaria.