A recent research study has identified a treasure trove of pre-phylloxera grape varieties, including new ones, classifying them by island
Unlike most of Europe, the Canary Islands, Cyprus, and Crete remained untouched by the devastating phylloxera epidemic that wiped out grape harvests across European vineyards in the 19th century. This fortunate isolation means that the Canary Islands have preserved a unique and exclusive heritage of pre-phylloxera vines, planted on their own roots without any need for grafting, compared with the rest of the world’s wine vineyards that typically rely on planting vines grafted onto American rootstock, which is resistant to phylloxera.
Francesca Fort, a researcher at the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) in Tarragona, has dedicated her work to studying these Canarian pre-phylloxera varieties.
Her research began with an analysis of Lanzarote Malvasía, which revealed that it is a distinct grape from its counterparts on other islands, leading to its renaming as Malvasía Volcánica, a hybrid of Malvasía Aromática and Marmajuelo). Additional varieties also found to be native to Lanzarote include the Breval Negro, Torrontés Volcánico, and Uva de Año.
This study then turned to the other islands and revealed a rich variety of grape types. Fuerteventura, with almost no wine production, is home to the Majorera grape. Gran Canaria has the Albillo de Monte Lentiscal. The western islands, and El Hierro in particular, boasts a larger number of different varieties such as Baboso Blanco, Burra Volcánica, Verijadiego Blanco, Verdello, Bermejuela Rosada, Huevo de Gallo, Mollar Cano Rosado, Baboso Negro, Verijadiego Negro. La Gomera offers the Forastera Blanca while La Palma has the Albillo Criollo, Gual Mazo, Sabro, and Bienmesabe Tinto. Tenerife, the largest island, is home to Vallera, Vitoriera, Listán Rosa, Malvasía Púrpura, and Mollar Cano Rosado, among others.
In addition to all these island-specific varieties are those grown throughout the archipelago, such as Bermejuela, Listán Negro, Listán Rosado, and Malvasía Rosada. The list continues to grow as subsequent studies uncover more and more, less common varieties.
According to Francesca Fort, these studies have shone a light on the two major problems the global winemaking community has faced in the past two centuries: the Phylloxera crisis of the 19th century and the homogenisation of wines in the 20th century, especially in the 1980s and 1990s when the excessive focus on international varieties overshadowed indigenous grapes and threatened biodiversity. It was a time when a vineyard would be virtually out of business unless it produced Cabernet Sauvignon. As Fort says, ‘Although homogenisation is still a factor in the 21st century, we now have climate change to contend with.’
