The Canary Islands has obtained 56 medals and five special distinctions in the 32nd edition of the “Mondial des Vins Extrêmes 2024” organized by CERVIM (Research, Study, Protection, Coordination and Valorization Center of Mountain Viticulture) and held in the Italian town of Sarre to recognize the productions of mountainous regions or heroic crops.
Among those awarded with a grand gold medal in Lanzarote are El Grifo Ancestral Ecológico 2023 and Moscatel Orange Wine 2022, both from Bodegas El Grifo; and Milagro de Magmasía Colección 2022 and Luz de Obsidiana 2022, from Bodega Erupción (DOP Lanzarote);
In addition, two wines from Lanzarote have won a gold medal. These are Lágrima 2023 and Martinón Blanco Seco 2023, from Bodegas Martinón.
Heroic viticulture refers to grapes from terraces or land with more than 30% slope, altitudes above 500 meters above sea level or from small islands.
In the competition, which presented more than a thousand wines from 35 countries, with a total of 370 participating wineries, the Canary Islands productions obtained 56 medals (12 grand gold medals and 44 gold medals) of the 300 awarded by a jury of 50 experts.
In addition, they achieved special distinctions such as the ‘Gran Premio Cervim’ for the best wine in the competition, the ‘Premio Cervim Originale’ for the wine produced with ungrafted vines and the ‘Premio Vinofed’ for the best-rated dry wine, three awards that went to the Malvasía Volcánica Papaino 2023 from Bodegas Gavias del Sordo in Fuerteventura (DOP Islas Canarias), with a score of 97.33 out of 100.
Likewise, the Linaje del Pago Winery, in Tenerife, (DOP Islas Canarias) was recognized with the Special Cervim Award as the most outstanding winery in the country, while, for the second consecutive year, the Archipelago also received the ‘Premio Mondial des Vins Extrêmes’ with which the Canary Islands is recognized as the wine-growing area with the highest number of participating wines.
Apart from the wine competition, the International Competition of Heroic Distillates, dedicated to spirits of wine origin, was held in parallel, in which two Canary Islands elaborations won gold medals: the Valle de Güímar Vermut Blanco 2023, from SAT Viticultores Comarca de Güímar-Arafo, and the Aguardiente de Orujo de Uva 2021, from Bodegas Insulares Tenerife, standing out as the only two Spanish productions awarded.
Through the Canary Islands Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA), an body attached to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty, the Canary Islands Government has provided support to all the wines of the Archipelago participating in terms of registration and sending of samples, with the only requirement that they had previously participated in the Agrocanarias wine competition.
In this sense, the head of the department, Narvay Quintero, highlighted the importance of these “recognitions at an international level for our winegrowers who are capable of producing exceptional products in conditions of special difficulty, in an exemplary sample of heroic viticulture”.
In total, twelve Canary Islands wines were recognized in the competition with a grand gold medal, in addition to the aforementioned Lanzarote wines, Malvasía Volcánica Papaino, as well as Linaje del Pago Malvasía (2022), from Bodega Linaje del Pago, Conatvs Baboso Negro (2023), from Bodegas Conatvs, and Gallo La Excepción de Syrah (2021), from Bodega Gallo & Quiquere Wines; all of them from the DOP Islas Canarias.
The Crater Joven wine (2023), from Bodegas Crater (DOP Tacoronte Acentejo), the Brumas de Ayosa Malvasía Aromática (2023), from the SAT Viticultores Comarca de Güímar – Arafo (DOP Valle de Güímar); Gran Salmor Blanco Dulce 2017 from Sociedad Cooperativa del Campo Frontera (DOP Vinos de El Hierro); and, finally, Pagos de Reverón Blanco Afrutado 2023, from Bodega Reverón (DOP Abona) also received a grand gold medal.
On the other hand, the winners with a gold medal in the rest of the Canary Islands were Gallo Doble Malvasía 2022 and Alejandro Gallo Vijariego Negro y Tintilla 12M 2022, both from Bodega Gallo & Quiquere Wine; Abona Listán Negro Chasnero 2023 and Abona Blanco Chasnero 2023, from Bodegas Lacasmi; Blanco Roto 2023, from Linaje del Pago; El Lomo Disparate 2023, El Lomo Vendimia Seleccionada 2023, El Lomo Doce y Uno 2021, and El Lomo Listán Negro 2023, from Bodegas El Lomo; Paisaje de Las Islas Tenerife 2023, from Bodegas Tajinaste; Tinto Pago de Los Cercados 2023 and Pago de Los Cercados Albillo Criollo 2023, from Emilio Tomás Palmero García; Pico Cho Marcial Blanco Seco 2023, from SAT Viticultores Comarca de Güímar- Arafo; and Brut Blanc de Blancs 2022, from Bodegas Tabares 4, all of them from the DOP Islas Canarias.
In addition, among the productions of the DOP Tacoronte-Acentejo, the Marba Rosado 2022 and Marba Blanco Barrica wines, from Bodegas Marba; Linaje del Pago Tradicional and Rojo Carmín 2022, from Bodega Linaje del Pago; Crater
Crianza, from Bodegas Crater; Viña Norte Tinto Tradicional 2023, Tágara Marmajuelo sobre Lías 2023, Viña Norte Blanco Seco 2023, from Bodegas Insulares Tenerife, Hacienda de Acentejo Listán Negro 2023 and Serventía 2023, from Bodega Hacienda de Acentejo; and Jable
2023, from Bodega Guayonje were distinguished with a gold medal.
Among the elaborations with the DOP Abona seal, the Listán a 1414 de Altura 2021, from Bodega Mencey de Chasna: Pagos de Reverón Blanco Tradicional 2023 and Tinto Los Quemados, from Bodega Reverón; Arese Blanco Seco 2023 and Arese Tinto Barrica 2023, from Bodega Viña Arese; Testamento Malvasía Aromática Dry 2023, Flor de Chasna Blanco Marmajuelo Premium 2023, Flor de Chasna Albillo Premium 2023 and Flor de Chasna Blanco Pasión 2023, from Sociedad Cooperativa Cumbres de Abona- Arico won the gold medal.
Within the DOP Valle de Güímar, Brumas de Ayosa Marmajuelo 2023, Brumas de Ayosa Blanco sobre Lías 2023, Brumas de Ayosa Blanco Seco 2023, from SAT Viticultores de Güímar-Arafo were awarded with a gold medal.
Likewise, Las Tirajanas Dulce 2023, from Bodegas Las Tirajanas (DOP Gran Canaria); Tagalguén Blanco Ecológico 2023, from Juan Jesús Péres Adrián (DOP Vinos La Palma); and Vera Pinto 2021, from El Mirador de Adra (DOP El Hierro) also received a gold medal.
