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Jun 23 2026
World Wine Experts Meet at the Island Wines Summit in Tenerife
One of Europe's most influential emerging wine events, The Island Wine Summit 2026 tookplace at the five-star Gran Hotel Taoro in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, held June 21, 22, and 23.Organised by Vocento Gastronomia and Foods and Wines from Spain, the Island Wine SummitTenerife 2026 brought together a delegation of 57 leading wine professionals, from winemakersand sommeliers to journalists and wine critics, to explore the singular magic of island wine.
The participants from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, theNetherlands, South Korea, the UK, and the US explored the unique character of Tenerife wines,with three days of keynote speeches, masterclasses, round-table discussions, and specialtastings.
Exceptional Quality & Heritage
The unique essence of Tenerife is reflected in its culture, landscape, and gastronomic products. Wine is emblematic of all three, with the distinctive characteristics that make Tenerife wine, andmore broadly, wine from DO Islas Canarias, extremely compelling for oenologists andsommeliers from all over the world.
Tenerife wines are renowned all over the world for their unique characteristics. A taste profilethat features mineral smokiness, vibrant acidity, and a unique saline quality is a result of thedistinct volcanic soil and rugged terrain, and strong sea winds that characterize the island.Tenerife is the largest producer of wine across the Canaries, and is famed for its “Heroic”viticulture, where winegrowers rely on age-old techniques to produce world-class wine. Thisincludes manual harvesting methods, and the use of volcanic pits known as hoyos, whichprotect the wine from potentially damaging winds.
The Island Wine Summit Tenerife 2026 was the perfect opportunity to bring together leadingfigures in the world of wine, including renowned Masters of Wine (MW) and Master Sommeliers(MS), united by a love of Tenerife, an island that embodies authenticity and tradition through itscommitment to its local produce, its unique landscape, and its heritage
The Science and Passion of Winemaking
The Island Wine Summit Tenerife 2026 took a comprehensive look at the world of island wines,covering everything from in-depth scientific aspects of winemaking to the cultural identity soinextricably linked to viticulture in Tenerife.
The summit opened on Sunday 21 June with a special tasting led by Josep Roca, sommelier atthe three Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca in Girona. One of the world’s leadingsommeliers, Josep explored the intrinsic relationship between the islands, their wines, and the sea.
Various other leading sommeliers gave further insights. On Monday 22 June, Master SommelierPascaline Lepeltier examined the international perspective on Tenerifean wines, drawing on hermany years of experience of organic, biodynamic and natural viticulture, gained whileoverseeing a wine list featuring over 2,000 wines as drinks director at the renowned Chambersrestaurant in New York.
Another Master Sommelier and the current head of wines at the Estelle Group, London, MatteoMontone led a tasting session designed to introduce participants to the islands’ sweet wines.
The idea of insularity as a defining cultural identity was then explored in-depth by leadingwinemakers and sommeliers. The discussion featured Tenerife winemaker Borja Pérez;Portuguese winemaker Antônio Maçanita; sommelier at Tenerife sushi restaurant Kensei,Rodrigo González; and Master of Wine Fernando Mora.
On the final day, Fernando Mora led an introductory talk on the deep origin of Tenerife winesbefore leading participants on a wine tour of Tenerife, providing an immersive insight into theisland and its wine-producing regions.
The Island Wines Summit provided professionals with a rich understanding of the unique winesproduced on this beautiful, historic Spanish island.
