Bodegas Juan Matías Torres, Victoria Torres Pecis, La Palma.
Wow she is strong! Viki Torres left Tenerife and the bar that she had been running there for 7 years in 2008 and moved back to her native La Palma. She grew up here, but left when she was only 15 years old to study and run (yes, she is a sporty type) in Tenerife.
La Palma, this rather unknown Canary Island, is small and not many young people stay or move back. Viki started to help her father out in the vineyards directly after her return and has since 2011 been the one running the production. After the unfortunate passing of her dad, she’s the one humbly and fully in charge of vineyards and the winemaking.
The family estate covers around 3,5 hectares of vineyards on the black volcanic soils in ’Los Llanos Negros’ and ’Las Machuqueras’ in the south western part of the island, close to the bodega in Fuencaliente. Here the vineyards are on an altitude of 350-400 meters with the addition of 2 hectares in the magic site ‘El Tion’ resting higher up in Los Canarios (Fuencaliente) at around 1000 m surrounded by majestic Canary Pine woods.
Her father was the fourth generation in the family making wines, but before 1997 he sold all wine that wasn’t consumed at home in bulk to bigger bodegas.
With Viki joining him she persuaded her dad that they should start exporting, lucky for us!
Today Viki works alone in both the vineyards and the winery with the occasional help of others. The days are long and tough and the vineyards are often extremely steep and difficult to navigate. She also buys grapes from several organic grape growers around the Island with whom she also works their vineyards. The northerly vineyard sites, a 2 hour drive from Fuencaliente, are set on impressive altitudes of up to 1450 meters; the volcanic soil here is older, more de-composed and mixed up with red clay, which gives the wines other characteristics than the ones from the south.
All the vines have old European ungrafted roots, because the Phylloxera never hit the Canary Islands. When a vine dies, Viki uses ’macoutage’ to set a new plant, which means she takes a strong branch from the vine next to the dead one and put that in the soil so it starts to root. With this way of planting it takes 5 years before you start to get fruit, but it makes sure that you keep the exact same clone in the vineyard, the true identity is kept.
The grapes are all indigenous from here, some of them you might not have heard of before. Amongst the whites you’ll find Viki working mainly with Malvasía Aromática, Listán Blanco, Marmajuelo, Diego and Albillo Criollo. For the reds Negramoll, Lístan Negro and Listán Príeto.
The white wines are intensely fruity that’s well balanced with great freshness and an impressive, salty mineral finish that’s really addictive.
The red wines have fine aromatics with deep fruits but at the same time really elegant and fresh, with fine tannins and a long, mineral finish.
You will feel this woman’s relentless and complete care for La Palma, the soils, precious tradition, the craft and the wish for all of this not to fall into oblivion, reflected in every single bottle.
Of course with Viki’s own magic twist on things!
2020 Malvasía
Soil: Black volcanic.
Appellation: DO La Palma
Grape: Malvasía Aromática
Ages of Vines: Los Llanos Negros (southern part of the island) picked from six plots between
350-420 m altitude. Planted 1889-1989.
Vinification: A part of the grapes were directly pressed, some were left on the skins for a short period of time before press. The juice was then assembled and left to rest in stainless steel tank and old barrels until bottling in summer 2021.
2019 Malvasía
Soil: Black volcanic.
Appellation: DO La Palma
Grape: Malvasía Aromática
Age of vines: Los Llanos Negros (southern part of the island). Picked from one single vineyard plot at around 350-370 m altitude. Planted between 1948-1968.
Vinification: Directly pressed grapes. Aged in stainless steel tank and old barrels until bottling in summer 2020.
2021 Mazo
Soil: De-composed volcanic with red clay.
Appellation: DO La Palma
Grape: Lístan Blanco
Age of vines: From Mazo (south eastern part of the island). Planted in the 1950’s.
Vinification: Short maceration before press. Fermented and aged in an old chestnut barrel until bottling in summer 2022.
2021 Sin Título
Soil: Black volcanic and de-composed volcanic with red clay.
Appellation: Vino de la Mesa
Grape: Malvasía Aromática and Albillo.
Age of vines: Jerónimo vineyard in the north western part of the island at 1200 m altitude (Albillo) and Los Llanos Negros in the south western part of the island at 380 m altitude (Malvasía).
Planted 1889-1989.
Vinification: Due to a heatwave that struck at a critical time during August Viki lost around 85% of her Malvasía grapes in 2021, hence bringing Albillo in the picture to create balance in the wine and to add some savory notes and length. The grapes were directly pressed followed by fermentation and ageing concrete tank for the Albillo, fermentation and ageing in old barrels for the Malvasía before being joined together. Bottled in summer 2022.
Extras: Sin Título is a concept where Viki’s idea is to join together and show the islands diversity in one wine. La Palma is place full of super contrasting landscapes. Specific vineyard plots and sites are often hugely different, with different conditions and it might not always work to make a single area wine from all these particular plots. Here Viki brings these opposites together to create balance and harmony.
A wine that’s always blend of grapes from the north and the south coming together to express a united sense of identity.
2018 Sin Título
Soil: Black volcanic and de-composed volcanic with red clay.
Appellation: Vino de la Mesa
Grape: Lístan Blanco
Age of vines: Various vineyards in the north western part of the island (Puntagorda and Tijarafe above 1350 m altitude) and many plots around the south eastern/western part of the island at around 400 m altitude. Planted 1889-1989.
Vinification: A part of the grapes were directly pressed, some were left on the skins for a period of time before press. The grapes from the different vineyard plots were vinified separately and blended together quite early. A very long fermentation followed, in concrete tank, that took around three years to finish. Bottled in summer 2022.
2020 Jerónimo
Soil: De-composed volcanic with red clay.
Grape: Lístan Blanco
Appellation: Vino de la Mesa
Age of vines: From Jerónimo (Onelio’s plot, one of the growers Viki is working with) in the northern part of the island at 1250 m altitude. Planted in the 1940’s
Vinification: Some skin maceration with gentle, daily punch downs before press. Fermented and aged in an old, big chestnut barrel. Bottled in summer 2021.
2019 T más D
Soil: Black volcanic and de-composed volcanic with red clay.
Appellation: DO La Palma
Grape: Lístan Blanco and Diego (also known as Bujariego or Vijariego blanco)
Age of vines: From the vineyards El Tión at 1100 m altitude and Riveros at 800 m altitude. Both sites located in the south western part of the island in Fuencaliente.
Planted around 1940.
Vinification: Some initial skin maceration (slightly longer for the Diego) with daily, gentle punch downs kicked off the process. After press the Diego rested for a short time in barrel and then in stainless steel tank. The Lístan Blanco fermented and aged in stainless steel tank.
The wine was finally blended together and bottled in summer 2021.
Extras: This wine is a blend showing more of a southern island identity. The T in the name stands for Tión and the D for Diego.
2018 Las Migas
Soil: Black volcanic and de-composed volcanic with red clay.
Appellation: Vino de la Mesa
Grape: Lístan Blanco
Age of vines: From various plots in the southern part of the island: Los Llanos Negros, Las Manchas, San Simón, Hoyo de Mazo and Las Machuqueras. All below 600 m altitude.
Planted 1889-1989
Vinification: A wine Viki started making in 2016, always made from Lístan Blanco.
Here the process is adding juice continously for 60 days to tank hence a long fermentation that’s kept going by the new juice being added. This method originates from the old tradition in the winery during harvest time to mix ‘left over’ press juice in a tank during the harvest period (around 60 days = aproxomate harvest length). Once harvest was completed a wine was made from the contents of this barrel that was then consumed at home or given to friends and family.
Las migas means the crumbs.
The fermentation for this particular vintage took a very long time, two years to be precise and the wine was fermented and rested in concrete tank. Bottled in summer 2021.
2021 Clarete
Soil: Black volcanic and de-composed volcanic with red clay.
Grape: Lístan Blanco, Listán Negro and Negramoll.
Appellation: Vino de la Mesa
Age of vines: Mixed plots around the southern part of the island.
Planted in the 1970’s.
Vinification: Whole bunch, short maceration with light punch downs. All the varieties were co-fermented and aged in old barrels. Bottled in summer 2022.
2021 Rosado
Soil: De-composed volcanic with red clay.
Grape: Negramoll
Appellation: DO La Palma
Age of vines: From Garome in the north western part of the island at 1400 m altitude.
Planted 1923-1993.
Vinification: Short, whole bunch maceration with light daily punch downs before press. Fermented and aged in an old French barrel until bottling in summer 2022.
2021 Lalo’s Chupadero
Soil: De-composed volcanic with red clay.
Grape: Lístan Negro and Negramoll.
Appellation: DO La Palma
Age of vines: From Puntagorda, El Reventón in the north western part of the island.
Grapes from Lalo’s plot El Chupadero (Lalo is one of the growers Viki is working with).
1400 m altitude. Planted in the 1940’s.
Vinification: Short, whole bunch maceration with light, daily punch downs before pressing.
Aged in old French barrels until bottling in summer 2022.
2020 Negramoll
Soil: Black volcanic and de-composed volcanic with red clay.
Grape: Negramoll and a tiny part Lístan Blanco.
Appellation: Vino de la Isla
Age of vines: Mainly from various plots around the north western part of the island at 1200-1450 m altitude. Also some grapes from Las Machuqueras in the south west.
Planted 1923-1993.
Vinification: Short, whole bunch maceration with light, daily punch downs before pressing (some destemmed bunches in the blend). Fermented and aged in old barrels. Bottled in summer 2021.
NV Negramoll (Vino de la Mesa)
Soil: De-composed volcanic with red clay.
Grape: Negramoll and a tiny part Lístan Blanco.
Appellation: Vino de la Mesa
Age of vines: From various plots around the north western part of the island at 1200-1450 m altitude and also plots in the southern part of the island. Planted 1923-1993.
Vinification: This wine consists of three different vintages: 2020 (2 barrels) 2019 (4 barrels) and 2018 (1 barrel). Since 2019 was a hugely problematic vintage in terms of low yields Viki decided to let the wine rest from this vintage until she could blend it with future wine.
The final composition became a ‘three year match’ where 2020 was blended in to bring more depth and character. A barrel of 2018 sealed the deal and made it all complete!
Initial maceration varied, between 6-12 days with light, daily punch downs (whole clusters, partially or fully destemmed ones). After pressing the wines were aged in old barrels before final assembly.
Bottled in summer 2021.
2017 Malvasia Dulce
Soil: Black volcanic.
Grape: Malvasía Aromática.
Appellation: DO La Palma
Age of vines: From Los Llanos Negros in the south western part of the island.
Planted 1889-1989.
Vinification: The grapes for this sweet wine is harvested when around 50 % of the bunches on the vines have turned to raisins. The grapes then spends some time on the skins before being pressed in a small basket press by hand. The wine is then left to rest on the lees in steel tank for two years before being bottled. 6 months of bottle ageing follows.
Bottled in summer 2019.