On a rural vineyard over sanded cropland covered with volcanic ash, protected by dry-stone walls, a huge monkey-puzzle tree rises towards the sky. It points out the exact spot where one of the liveliest wineries of the Isles of the Volcanoes can be found. Next to the tree, two buildings stand out in the estate once owned by one of the most powerful families of the island, the Bellos: Mrs. Sara’s house and the over a hundred years old former winery that is The Bermejos winery today.

That is where, in 2001, the oenologist Ignacio Valdera (with help from entrepreneur Carmelo González Clavijo) started a project that was to revolutionize the wines from Lanzarote. One of his initial ideas, in addition to elaborate wines by means of an exquisite treatment of the raw material, was to make single-variety wines with the main grapes from the island (Malvasia, Muscat and Diego “without mixing it with Listán blanco or Burra blanca or varieties of that sort” in order to be able to “make wines that have their own, original features”, he explains), to strengthen the study and creation of reds with nuances of wood from Listán negro (undervalued in Lanzarote because it is a grape lacking tannin, and by that stressing the adequate selection of the grape, based on its perfect level of maturity and the very gentle treatment of it) and to continue the classic line of Moscatels and sweet Malvasias, as well as a prolonged aging process in order to make soleras.

It was the first winery of the Canary Islands to use an exclusive bottle type for all its wines

The litmus test
All his plans, however, had to pass the litmus test: become visible to the consumer as a new brand on the market. They managed to do so by looking for a different bottle shape, the Modulor, which they found at an Italian glazier shop in Trento. It was the first winery of the Canary Islands to use an exclusive bottle type for all its wines, paving the way to a large range of design offers which the wineries of the archipelago started to use as a way to stand out.

The success was surprising. Their first harvest, in 2001, amounted to 63.000 kilograms of grapes for a basic range of dry and semi-sweet white, red and rosé wines, and, within a few months, was sold out. The innovation of the bottles and great tasting wines seduced the consumer. With the harvest of 2002 they turned 73.000 kilograms into wine and in May of 2003 they were, again, sold out. By 2003 they doubled their production to 140.000 kilograms and since then have been expanding up to 530.000 kilograms during the last seasons.

This kind of growth forced the winery to look for a closer located manufacturer for their bottles and today, with a more personalized design, they are produced exclusively by a company from the Canary Islands for almost the entire range of 14 different wines they prepare by now (except the 50cl bottle that is still imported from Italy).

■ Bodega Los Bermejos SL Camino Los Bermejos 7, 35550 San Bartolomé (Lanzarote), Islas Canarias (España) Phone number: (34) 928 522 463 Email: bodega@losbermejos.com Homepage: www.losbermejos.com ● Capacity: 700.000 liters. ● Exportation: Spanish Peninsula, Germany, United States, Ireland. ♠ Visits by appointment (7:30am to 15:30pm). ♣ There is a shop and a tasting lounge. ♥ Activities: Photography competition Bodegas Los Bermejos.