With the wines of the Canary Islands now firmly established in restaurants and shops across the US, it is always refreshing to see the work of new wineries pop up in the scene.  Next to the most recognizable names from the Islands we are slowly seeing the emergence of a new generation of growers exploring the varied and multi-faceted terroirs of the Archipelago.

Loreto Pancorbo and Gabriel Morales from Tierra Fundida (Molten Earth) are such growers. Living and making wine out of their house-cum-winery deep into the country in Tenerife, they started their label in 2017, after years of working in more conventional wineries.  The motivation to start their own label and build their own winery came naturally.  The family (they have three young children) tries to be self-sufficient, living as sustainably as possible, taking advantage of their large vegetable garden and the animals they raise, striving for independence.  It is this same spirit that they bring to their work at Tierra Fundida. 

Their wines come from six different vineyards spread around 7 hectares in the zones of Tacoronte, and Los Realejos (in the Orotava Valley). The 5 hectares in Tacoronte (where the majority of their red varieties come from) have historically been farmed organically but they are quickly introducing biodynamic practices, treating the soils not only with the 500 preparation, but using Maria Thun’s preparation, trying different tea infusions, and plants to enrich the land.

The whites come from two vineyards in Orotava, where temperatures are typically lower during the maturation period. There they are experimenting with different cover crops, feeling the difference between what they planted versus the spontaneous cover crops.

Their tiny production of 10,000 bottles is handled artisanally.  There is no machinery in the winery, the racking is done by gravity, and the wines are made from whole clusters, except for one white that is de-stemmed manually.  The wines are made in concrete and uncoated clay amphorae (to minimize the reductive quality of so many wines from the area), as well as old wood and even demijohns.

After so many years working with the oldest and most traditional wineries of the Canaries, we at BOWLER are happy to see the evolution of the wines in the region and welcome the progressive work of Loreto and Gabriel with wide open arms.