Envínate "Táganan" Blanco Tenerife Canary Islands 2023

Such a unique and characterful  white, with pungent salinity, citrus and orchard fruits and a savoury edge. A wine with a marked Atlantic character, fresh, vibrant, mineral. Scents of wild flowers, quince, and stone white fruit. Deliciously salty and smoky with refreshing acidity. Usually needs a bit of airtime on opening, with the volcanic soils lending the wine both it's mineral streak, but also a pretty reductive nose. Patience = rewarded.

"Táganan" is the old local name for the vineyard area located on the northeast side of Tenerife. In this area, the vineyards are planted “wild” on primary volcanic rock, on cliffs just above the Atlantic Ocean. The vineyards are very old and are mix planted with many different native grape varieties. Due to the rugged and difficult terrain, all farming has to be done by hand, and harvest is usually performed with the help of animals in order to be able to transport the grapes.

This wine is a blend of the many different native white varieties, including Listán Blanco, Albillo, Gualy Forestera, Malvasia, Marmajuelo and other local varieties native to the Canary Islands, some of which are unidentified. Each are vinified separately, with some parcels undergoing skin contact. The grapes come from different plots and different altitudes of very old vines. The vines, planted in a fairly steep area with volcanic soils, grow untrained and are organically farmed by Envínate and 15 other local families. They practice highly traditional viticulture; the work on the vineyards is done manually, and no chemicals are used.

Envínate (translates as "wine yourself") is the brainchild of four friends, winemakers Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, and José Martínez. This gang of four formed back in 2005 while studying enology at the University of Miguel Hernandez in Alicante. Upon graduation, they formed a winemaking consultancy, which evolved into Envínate, a project that focuses on exploring distinctive parcels mainly in the Atlantic-inflected regions of Ribeira Sacra and the Canary Islands. Their collective aim is to make profoundly pure and authentic wines that express the terruño of each parcel in a clear and concise manner. To this end, no chemicals are used in any of the Envínate vineyards, all parcels are picked by hand, the grapes are foot-trodden, and the wines are fermented exclusively with wild yeasts, with a varying proportion of whole grape clusters included. For aging, the wines are raised in old barrels and concrete, and sulfur is only added at bottling, if needed. The results are some of the most exciting and honest wines being produced in Spain today.