History of Tenerife Wine

It may have been a Portuguese man called Fernando de Castro who, in 1497, planted the first wine on Tenerife. Just a few months after the conquest of Tenerife, the history of viticulture was already beginning on the island. Shortly afterwards, at the beginning of the 16th century Tenerife’s wines began to conquer Europe. Their success was so great writers, such as Shakespeare and Walter Scott praised their quality in some of their work.

During the 16th and first half of the 17th century, viticulture was the driving force for the economy in Tenerife. Its wine production was exported in huge quantities from the Port of Garachico, in the north of the island, and this business created wealth and development. However, from 1663 onwards wines from Madeira and Porto began to replace Canarian wines as a result of political measures and better access to the British market and the winemaking activity on the island began to slow down. On the 5th of May 1706 a volcanic eruption destroyed the Port of Garachico and interrupted exports and wine stopped being such an important industry on Tenerife.

It wasn’t until the 20th century when winemaking regained its old energy and drive. In 1985 Tacoronte-Acentejo received the first designation of origin on the island, which boosted the sector and helped it enter a new stage of life. Quality and variety are the new dominant characteristics of the industry. There are now five designations of origin that control the production of over 100 wineries on the island.

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