2005 harvest |
Wine searcher say, "Ycoden-Daute-Isora is the most ancient but most recently Denominated of Spain's regions. The best dry white wines in Tenerife, from the Listan Blanco grape, are made here." (I think the reds are even better.)

Wine growing began here in the 16th and 17th Centuries and is inseparable from the history of the islands themselves. Being almost the only economy, both locally and of Tenerife at that time, had a determining influence on the customs, the landscape, the history, the art and the culture of the area.

Walking among the vines in the El Palmar Valley |
Today it is an area of small but vigorous wineries with new ideas. The vineyards grow in small terraces built into the slopes of the mountains, generally, between altitudes of 200 and 800 meters and, the rich volcanic soil and mild climate give the wine its own unique aroma. The whites obtained from the Listan Blanco and Malvasia species predominate but the red, made mainly out of Listan Negro and Negramoll are velvety to the palate and have an unique character.
A long, phylloxera-free past in Tenerife has allowed twenty-seven wine-making grape varieties to survive. Authorized varieties in the Ycoden-Daute-Isora region include; Bastardo blanco, Bermejuela, Forastera blanca, Gual, Listán blanco and Listán negro, Malvasía, Moscatel, Pedro Ximénez, Sabro, Torrontés, Verdello, Vijariego (blancas), Bastardo negro, Negramoll, Tintilla, Malvasía rosada, Moscatell negra and Vijariego negro (tintas).