The history of Fuerteventura wines

Fuerteventura has a unique beauty. The aridity of its mountains, valleys and ravines combine to create surprising landscapes. In addition to its geographical characteristics, Fuerteventura is known for having one of the best wines in the Canary Islands: Conatvs, an excellent wine that has won important national and international awards. In this article, we will take a tour of the history of wine on the island, from its origins to the present day.

Although many think that it was the Norman-French conquerors who introduced vines to the Canary Islands, the truth is that the arrival of the first vines in the Canary Islands is linked to the Castilian colonization. In fact, the first wines consumed in Fuerteventura, and in the rest of the islands, came from Andalusia. As the 16th century progressed, the planting of vines also spread in the Canary Islands, and the wines that came from them not only supplied the regional population, but also began to be exported to Europe and the Indies.

The chronicler and writer Andrés Bernáldez noted at the end of the 15th century that Lanzarote:

 “It is land to plant vines and trees, except that they do not plant them because of the many cattle that eat and destroy them.” 

We also know, thanks to Andrés Bernáldez, that in 1495 Fuerteventura already had vines planted: 

“…there are many goats, few cows, grape vines, orchards, almond trees and other trees”. 

Although Bernáldez did not make any reference to Fuerteventura wine, it is presumable that some wine was produced on the island at that time.

The first record of wine production on the islands comes from Edmund Scory, an English merchant who had lived in the city of La Laguna at the beginning of the 16th century. Scory described two types of wine in Tenerife:

 “the vidueño and the malvasia. The vidueño is produced by an elongated grape, which gives a weak wine; Malvasia is made from a thick, rounded grape, and this is the only wine that can cross all the world’s seas and both poles without turning sour or spoiling, while other wines turn to vinegar or freeze as they approach. to the south pole or to the north pole.

At that time, both the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria already supplied Fuerteventura with wine. The wines were exchanged for cheeses, cattle and cereals. Wine production in Fuerteventura was very low, the best years could produce between 150 and 200 pipes of wine on the island, a tenth of what was produced in Tenerife, where about 20,000 pipes of wine were produced annually

Wine production in Fuerteventura has always been for the local market. 

Currently, Fuerteventura has a hundred farmers dedicated to the cultivation of vines. Twenty of them produce wines, and there are only three wineries that sell their wines on the market: Gavias, El Sordo and Conatvs, the latter the one that has won the most recognition and awards in recent years.

Bodegas Conatvs: Promoting the wine tradition and agriculture in Fuerteventura 

Our island is home to a constantly evolving winemaking tradition. The Conatvs winery owned by Pedro Antonio Martín Hernández is an example of this since, in addition to producing high-quality wines with their own personality, he recovers agriculture and cultivation in gavias, an ancestral technique used in the Canary Islands. 

The winery launched its first Conatvs red wine in 2016, and in a short time it won the Silver Bacchus Medal at the XVII International Wine Competition. This wine is made with grapes of the Listán Negro variety and is a clear example of the winery’s commitment to the quality and uniqueness of its wines.

In 2017, they launched their Airam white wine, made with Diego variety grapes. This wine has won several awards, including the Silver Medal at AgroCanarias 2021. 

The most recent wine from the winery is Conatvs Pink, a rosé wine that has already won gold at the 2021 Brussels International Competition. 

Pedro Antonio Martín Hernández’s winery is a jewel in the Fuerteventura wine crown. In addition to producing exceptional wines, this winery is concerned with preserving the winemaking tradition and agriculture on the island.

Visiting the Conatvs winery is an opportunity to learn about the history, culture and traditions of Fuerteventura through wine. 

The visit becomes an enriching experience that begins with a walk through the vineyards. During the tour, you will see the grape varieties, all of them native to the Canary Islands, and their characteristics. 

Visitors will also learn about the history of the winery and the challenges faced when making wine on an island with a semi-desert climate and constant drought. 

After the tour, it’s time to visit the winery, the place where the wine is made and bottled. Here the production process is explained and you can see up close the techniques and tools used in winemaking. The experience culminates in the tasting room, where three wines are tasted, in a rustic and relaxed atmosphere, accompanied by bread, olives, olive oil and cheese from the island.

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