Gran Canaria is the youngest designated wine region of the Canary Islands (Las Canarias), having obtained its DO status only in 2000. It now includes the tiny El Monte Lentiscal area, which previously had DO status individually but has been part of the larger appellation since 2005.
Gran Canaria is a member of Vinest (formerly Vinum Est), a program backed by the European Union that promotes small wine-growing areas based on their individuality and distinctiveness. It cites the range of microclimates found on Gran Canaria as a distinctive feature. The local wine trade-regulating body, or Consejo Regulador, also sets high standards aimed at maintaining the reputation of the island's wines.
Gran Canaria is the third-largest island in the archipelago and sits east of Tenerife and southwest of Fuerteventura. The island is almost circular, stretches approximately 28 miles (45km) across and centers on the towering Pico de Nieves volcanic peak. Like all of the archipelago's islands, Gran Canaria is of volcanic origin and thus has a mountainous and rippled topography, with no shortage of fissures. This varied topography creates the many microclimates on the island, one of its most distinguishable features.
Vines are thought to have been introduced to Gran Canaria by the Spanish in the 15th Century. Vineyards flourished, and within 50 years had become an important industry on the island, supplying local markets first before expanding into exports to England, northern Europe and Spain's colonies in Africa and Latin America. When Anglo-Spanish relations soured in the 18th Century, the industry went into decline. Its fortunes worsened when successive outbreaks of mildew, both oidium and peronospora, struck the vineyards in the 19th Century (a concern even to this day, given the region's humidity).
Overall, conditions here are strongly influenced by the Mediterranean climate and the island's sub-tropical location. Vineyards within the former DO of El Monte Lentiscal lie at altitudes between 985ft and 2625ft (300–800m). Here, the local specialty wine is Tinto del Monte (mountain red), a rich and powerful red made from the Listan Negro variety (known locally as Negra Comun). Other red-wine grapes used in Gran Canaria wines include Tintilla (Trousseau), Tinta Negra Mole and Malvasia Rosada, while the whites are made from Listan Blanco, Malvasia, Gual (Bual) and Marmajuelo. Moscatel produces the best sweet wines.
Wines from Gran Canaria are best drunk in their youth as they are typically fermented in stainless steel and are bright and light, showing their primary fruit flavors.
