A drink with… Jonatan García
Canary Island native and footballer David Silva teamed up with pioneering winemaker Jonatan García for the pair’s winery project, Bodegas Tamerán, on Silva’s home island of Gran Canaria. García also has a winery in Tenerife, Suertes del Marqués, and his mineral, authentic wines have helped put the Canary Islands on the world wine map. ‘Gran Canaria as a winemaking area is not that big… the area under vine is half that of Valle de Orotava in Tenerife. It’s not been that popular for making wine in the past century, even though the very first vines planted in the Canary Islands were in Gran Canaria! But more people are starting to invest in new vineyards, so I think the island is going to see big development in the next few years.
‘While David Silva was playing for Manchester City, he contacted me via social media to say congrats about a Suertes del Marqués wine that he was drinking. We became friends and he suggested that we start a project together.
‘David didn’t know much about wine before, but he started to try, buy and read about wine, and now he’s a wine freak. He’s very involved in the wines and in the project. We talk every day, and he knows what’s going on in the cellar.
‘We make five whites from Vijariego Blanco, Baboso Blanco, Verdello, Malvasia Volcánica and Marmajuelo.
Vines are ungrafted in the Canary Islands, which is mainly a consequence of their isolation at the time when phylloxera became a problem. Another consequence is that the island has maintained vine-training systems and grape varieties that were once at risk of disappearing.
‘David chose to work with me because he likes the style of wine that I make. We have the same concept of the wines that we like to drink: clean white wines, very precise, with acidity.
‘We work organically in the vineyards, and it’s a bit easier than it is in Tenerife as we’re in the south of Gran Canaria and the climate is drier. Another result of these warm, south-facing vineyards is that our wines are much more aromatic.
But they are also fresh. Sometimes they remind me of Ribeiro from Galicia.’
To read the full interview by Decanter’s
Natalie Earl, see decanter.com