- How was a winery like El Grifo able to get through 2020, with so many months practically without tourists?
The whole island has suffered enormously and El Grifo has been no exception. Like almost all companies, we had to resort to ERTE (Temporary Employment Regulation File) and external financing. Commercially, we were helped to weather the storm by the digitalization that we had already begun to implement, which allowed us, through the online channel, to increase sales both in the peninsula and in some international markets. And like so many others, we had a lot of time to reflect and rethink our projects.
- Is Lanzarote wine so special? Apart from the artisanal harvesting, what other characteristics make it different?
As is well known, what makes Lanzarote wine unique is mainly the vine cultivation system that shapes the landscape created by our elders. As a curiosity, in our library there is a book from the 70s by a French author whose title is "The wines of the impossible" and whose cover features a Lanzarote vineyard. In short, our landscape is not only different, it is unique, and therefore our wines are too.
On the other hand, we are greatly strengthened by having unique varietals in the world, such as Malvasía Volcánica, or as rare as Listán Negro or Vijariego, here known as Diego. Apart from their great quality, they are varieties that allow us to make different wines, which is precisely what new consumers are looking for. And even though cultivation in Lanzarote is one of the most environmentally friendly, we are taking a further step, certifying the entire vineyard to obtain the organic seal.
- The main driver of the wineries has been the white Malvasía. How are you doing with your high-end wines?
It is true that in Lanzarote the production of young white wines from Malvasía Volcánica predominates. We started that path in El Grifo 40 years ago.
However, the potential of our varietals is enormous, so we continue to investigate new elaborations, as well as improving cultural practices in cultivation, as it is well known that wine is born in the field. In fact, we produce up to fourteen references, some with an experimental character, which we call "Harvest Experiences", which gives an idea of the concern of our team.
In our portfolio coexist the classic elaborations of our elders, basically classic sweets, with cutting-edge and very innovative elaborations, such as pale rosés, different reds and even white wines for aging, wines made to last over time, gaining in finesse and complexity. Our Lías reference, white wine for aging, has had an even better reception than we expected, and is opening the doors to the most demanding markets. That is where the future of our wines is heading.
- How is the oldest winery in the Canary Islands renewed?
We maintain curiosity and enthusiasm, following the path marked by our elders throughout these almost 250 years, combining tradition with innovation. We rely on accumulated experience to catapult ourselves into the future. And there, digitalization in all processes is fundamental.
Although production on the island is limited, our capacity to improve the production and dissemination of our wines is still enormous and we work on it every day. And in the process we have the opportunity and the privilege of spreading the Lanzarote brand.
- The winery has its wine museum and has promoted cultural activity in the winery. How have these initiatives turned out for you?
It is true that the world of wine often maintains links with culture and art. In our case, it has been very satisfactory. The Wine Museum started from the need to preserve and restore the old winery, a task to which César Manrique, a good friend of the house, pushed us, whose generous help was fundamental for the project.
Being El Grifo the oldest winery in the Canary Islands, we consider it necessary to preserve and disseminate the history and culture of Lanzarote wine, from its beginnings at the end of the 18th century. The aforementioned historical library on agriculture and wine of the Canary Islands, which my brother Juan José has been forming over the years, unique in the islands and which currently houses more than five thousand volumes, has also contributed to this. Similarly, we have been organizing concerts, painting exhibitions and several collaborations with cultural associations, Saramago Foundation, and of course the FCM and the Cabildo of Lanzarote.
It is admirable that the island receives more and more visitors interested in the culture of wine, so wine tourism is taking on a dimension whose ceiling we still do not know. Wineries must prepare to offer maximum quality services, at the customer's demand, as there is no better loyalty to a brand than that induced by a satisfactory visit.
- What are the main challenges that the island's wineries face in the future? From your point of view, what aspects would you consider important to promote in the coming years?
Wineries, like most companies in Lanzarote, need to aim for excellence. For this, we need closer collaboration and help from our institutions, not necessarily economic. To begin with, the preservation of our environment urgently requires urban planning, rational and realistic, that allows us to develop and compete on an equal footing, not only among ourselves, but with any winery in the Canary Islands or the peninsula. The lack of political consensus in the approval of the Plan de La Geria harms us as a sector, but above all it harms the economy and island employment.
And the Cabildo should be even more decisively involved in the economic support of the viticultural landscape because it is one of the pillars of our tourism economy. And its "gardeners", the winegrowers, do not receive all the attention they deserve.
In any case, if we could only formulate one wish, it would be the same as our ancestors, we need water. Not only the wineries, but the countryside and the whole island. And we need quality water, obtained from our own abundant solar and wind energy. With this and a good distribution network, it would be a matter of time to reach energy self-sufficiency.
We live in a unique moment in which, in addition to having the necessary technology, we can opt for substantial European funds for projects as sustainable as this one. For this we would need a determined commitment from our political class, in the style of the one that in the past led to the construction of the Tourist Centers.
Unfortunately, we run into the difficulty of reaching consensus and an excess of bureaucracy, which slows down projects to the point of making them unfeasible. And this is an opportunity that is unlikely to be repeated. If we achieve it, our future would be guaranteed. We would be a totally sustainable island and a premium tourist destination, which would result in the growth and well-being of all the people of Lanzarote. Manrique's dream would have come true.
