Viñátigo Listán Blanco de Canarias

For decades, Juan Jesús Méndez has been the driving force behind the Canary Island's grapes revival, tracking down and rescuing the archipelago' forgotten grape varieties. Viñátigo's wines are his living archive.

Picture this: a windswept vineyard perched at 500 meters in the highlands of Icod de los Vinos and La Guancha, in the north of Tenerife, where the Atlantic whispers secrets to the vines and the shadow of Teide volcano looms large. This is the realm of Juan Jesús Méndez, a 4th-generation winemaker on a mission to resurrect the forgotten grapes of the Canary Islands. His Viñátigo Listán Blanco is a living relic—the grape was brought by Andalusian settlers in the 1700s, now thriving in the island’s rugged highlands, cradled by volcanic soil and history.

The vines cling to parrales, ancient trellises passed down from Portuguese settlers, twisting and climbing like botanical acrobats across the island’s dramatic slopes. The result? A wine that crackles with energy—salty, herbal, and fiercely alive. Imagine the scent of wild fennel tangled with sun-warmed fig-tree leaves, a dusting of almond skin, and that unmistakable volcanic grip—like licking a sun-baked stone after the rain.

Bright as island sunlight, razor-sharp with acidity, this is the kind of wine that demands a feast: charred octopus, wrinkled Canarian potatoes, and a reckless drizzle of mojo verde—garlicky, cilantro-laced, and vibrantly green. Drink it with a body of water in view.