Suertes del Marqués

The wine cellars of Suertes del Marques are unique not only for the fantastic wines, the specific lava soil giving the wines a surprising character, but also for the vinification system they use. After the destruction of European grape varieties by the aphid phylloxera, which attacked the roots of the vine, in the 19th century, today almost all varieties are grafted onto rootstocks of resistant species. This allows the varieties to retain their distinctive characteristics while protecting them from infestation. The original, so-called true root grape varieties, i.e. varieties NOT grafted onto other rootstocks, have been preserved very rarely in Europe, and one of these selected places is the Suertes del Marqués vineyards. Winemaker Jonatan Lima grows all varieties only on root varieties. In addition, the unique growing system follows centuries of practically forgotten traditions from Tenerife. This is a demanding procedure consisting in braiding the cordon of the vine - Cordon Multiple Trenzado, not the usual system of guiding the vine on wire. According to Jonatan, this Cordon Trenzado system is used because he wants to get the best out of the autochthonous wine, although he admits that it is much more work and the yield of grapes is much less. On the other hand, this is a unique system in the world and in the Canary Islands. Which makes the wine unique in the world.