Ancestral beauty from Viñátigo, Tenerife

Simon thought he knew what white/orange wines from the Canary islands taste like. Until he tried Viñátigo's Elaboraciones Ancestrales Blanco.

If you're British like me, Tenerife probably has mixed associations. Package holiday nightmare, full of "rosbifs" behaving badly, or volcanic island paradise? Wine might not be the first plus point that comes to mind, but the island's output has become really dynamic of late. The black volcanic soil and ancient vineyards at altitudes of up to 1000 metres above sea level provide the raw material for some extraordinary and characterful wines.

I've formed a rough idea of what Tenerife's white or orange wines taste like - often salty and mineral, sometimes produced in a more oxidative style (cf. Suertes del Marqués), sometimes more tight and smoky. But then I cracked open Viñátigo's Elaboraciones Ancestrales Blanco 2016, and those pre-existing assumptions were blown to smithereens.

Imagine a young Blaufränkisch, or a tight, unoaked Syrah - this wine has the same intense pepperiness, but with some floral aromas lending it additional grace and charm. The Ancestrales is fruity stuff, not salty…