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The contest, organized by the Government of the Canary Islands, recognizes the best DOP productions of the archipelago
A total of 230 wines from 60 wineries participate in the Official Agrocanarias Wine Competition, organized by the Canarian Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA), autonomous body attached to the Department of Agriculture, Cattle raising, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, to distinguish the best wine productions with Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) made and bottled in the archipelago.
The contest, which on this occasion is celebrated in The Jameos del Agua, in Lanzarote, for three days, participation has increased with 52 more productions (+29,21%) that in the previous call. Samples are recorded from all the islands distributed in 161 of Tenerife, twenty three of The Palm, sixteen from Lanzarote, ten of Gran Canaria, eight corresponding to The iron, seven of La Gomera and five of Fuerteventura.
Besides, The contest has twelve different categories based on the type of grape and the production method. Young dry whites/barrel-fermented whites included (87), young reds/barrel reds (68), semisecos (seven), semidulces (31), sweets (ocho), sweet malvasias (four), dry rosés (pass), of tea (one), sparkling (four) and breeding (seven). All these productions correspond, according to the rules of the competition, to the harvest of 2022 o 2023, except for the breeding, teas, sweets, sparkling wines and sweet malvasias.
All the DOs of the islands, represented
In this edition the eleven DOPs of the archipelago are represented: He sees (con 54 samples from six wineries), Canary Islands ( con 52 wines from fifteen companies), Tacoronte-Acentejo (con 34 products from eight wineries), The Palm (with twenty-three samples from seven companies), Güímar Valley (with twenty-one wines from five companies), Lanzarote (with sixteen productions from eight wineries), Gran Canaria (with ten samples from five wineries), The iron (with eight wine productions from three producers), La Gomera (with seven samples from four wineries), La Orotava Valley (with three wines from two wineries) e Ycoden-Daute-Isora (with two products from a single winery).
The Area Counselor, Narvay Quintero, valued the efforts of the Canarian wine sector for its transcendental change in recent years and the continuous increase in the quality of the wines. In addition, highlighted the importance of the link between the primary sector and tourism, highlighting the project “Grow up together” that seeks synergies between both sectors to convert local agri-food products into tourist assets. Besides, indicated that citizens should contribute to the sector by consuming local products and promoting a circular economy.
The director of the ICCA, Luis Arraez Guadalupe, claimed to be “very satisfied” by the number of wines participating in the competition, “which represents a significant increase compared to previous editions”. “This positive response reflects the trust that wineries place in this event as a powerful platform to give visibility and promote their products in order to encourage marketing.”, he added. In addition, positively valued the active participation of all the DOP Regulatory Councils of wines of the archipelago in this call, as well as the financial support of Lanzarote Town Council and of the Art Centers, Culture and Tourism (CACT) of the island.
How the contest works
The competition is governed by a blind tasting system, so that a panel of twenty-two tasters specialized in the analysis of agri-food products evaluates the samples of the contest without knowing their origin., and determine with their evaluations the productions that are awarded the Great Gold Medals, Gold Medals and Silver Medals, as well as the special distinctions of Best Canary Wine, Best Wine Chosen by the Winemakers of the Canary Islands, Best Image and Presentation, and Best Organic Wine of the Canary Islands 2024, that will be revealed in an event in which the jury's decision will be read, which will be held in the coming weeks.
The award-winning wines will be able to use the official badge corresponding to the award received for one year. (a kind of adhesive medal that is placed on the bottles) and they will participate in the different events to promote and promote Canarian products that the ICCA organizes throughout the year in the Canary Islands and outside our territory..
Finally, The ICCA will cover the registration and logistics costs corresponding to participation in the annual CERVIM contest. (Research Center, Studies, Protection, Coordination and Valorization of Mountain Viticulture) of those wineries that have been admitted to the Agrocanarias Contest. In addition, They will be entitled to payment of the logistics expenses corresponding to participation in the national wine competition determined by the Vine and Wine Council..
During today and tomorrow the previous and final phases take place, while on Friday, in which a panel made up of twelve winemakers from the islands, one for each DOP and another for the Canary Islands Winemakers Association, will decide the best wine from winemakers following the criteria established in the bases.
