Juan Franciscos Fariña Pérez’s winery has been a family tradition for several generations. “My father made wines for personal consumption, just as his father did before him, until he decided to expand the production and sell it in bulk,” he explains. When he himself became part of the winegrowing trade, they decided to bottle the wine under the denomintation of origin Valle de Güímar.

“We had only a small output, and we sold all of it at our family’s restaurant,” he adds. The intention was to maintain a rather small production, at most twelve thousand bottles, but also to make quality wines. Indeed, their own vineyard has only about one hectare of arable land, divided between two estates (one next to the winery at 750-800 meters above sea level for the Gual, Albillo Criollo, Listán Blanco, and some Listán Negro grapes; and another one near the coast at 250 meters, where they grow Gual and Marmajuelo). Their harvest is combined with that of another small viticulturist from the coast whose grapes Fariña purchases.

Juan Francisco Fariña, vintner:
“Every vintner wants to make his own wine, one that he particularly likes even though it might not be the best selling one.”

Their principal product is a dry and fruity white wine, though they make a smaller quantity of rosé, under the brand-name El Borujo. “Why make a mediocre red from Listán when it gets too hot in Güímar during July and August for the grapes to ripen properly,” he explains. In 2012 he extended his line with a more personal wine called Los Loros. “Every vintner wants to make his own wine, one that he particularly likes even though it might not be the best selling one.” His primary white is produced from Gual, Marmajuelo, and some Albillo Criollo grapes and fermented in the barrel, though the one to which he is personally partial is from Vijariego Blanco with Gual and Marmajuelo, aged four months in the barrel on its lees, with weekly bâtonnage, and that will balance out his production during the upcoming vintages.

■ Juan Francisco Fariña Pérez Carretera Subida Los Loros km 4, 38550 Arafo (Tenerife), Islas Canarias (España) Cell phone: (34) 636 824 919 Email: elborujo@elborujo.es Home page: www.elborujo.com ● Capacity: 10,500 liters. ● Average production: 9,000 bottles/year.