Los Bermejos

“Everything is given in our land. Our wines simply reflect the richness of our land, our landscapes, and the efforts of our cultivators.”

Lanzarote, a stone's throw from Africa, is an island with an ever-evolving landscape shaped by a series of volcanic eruptions in the 1730s which blanketed the island in lava and ash.

At Los Bermejos winery, Ignacio Valdera simply bottles the juice from the fermented grapes.  But growing the grapes is the real story.  Fierce tradewinds, low rainfall, and constant sunshine are just some of the conditions that have to be overcome to produce the low yields of concentrated indigenous grapes.

Each vine must be planted in a hole (hoyo) underneath the ash (picon), and for added protection from the wind, encircled by rock walls.  The volcanic nature of the soil is a good conduit for water absorption and distribution to the vine roots, while also providing protection from heat and direct sunlight.

All vineyard work is organic and hand harvested, with the bulk of the grapes cultivated by grape growers who have worked the land for generations.  The grapes, malvasía volcánica, listán negro and blanco, negramoll, diego, moscatel, and tintilla are the stars, phylloxera resistant, with many vines over 100 years old.  Minimum intervention in the cellar, the wines are an expression of the singularity of an unusual place, pure island wines.