Bien de Altura

Founded by Carmelo Peña Santana in 2017, Bien de Altura is a project based in Pico de las Nieves the north of Gran Canaria. This is the highest point of the island, where it can reach up to 1,949 metres above sea level. The vineyards themselves can be found 1,000-1,500m altitude, which is physically above the clouds. At such altitude, the air is moist, a stark contrast to the otherwise arid, desert-like landscape of the island. The soils are known as ‘picón’, which is the black volcanic ash typically found in the Canary Islands, a result of eruptions that took place in the past. Carmelo’s aim is to bring to light the distinguished nuances in terroir of the island, with many of his vineyards being previously abandoned for long periods of time, where we can find some extremely old, low-yielding vines up to 120 years of age. Predominantly Listán Negro is planted here at around 85% of Carmelo’s holdings, with a smattering of Listán Prieto and Vijariego also. We are delighted to now stock his village wine ‘Ikewen’, and three single vineyard cuvées from Bien de Altura. In terms of the winemaking, the single-site wines are all vinified in the exact same way, allowing the unique differences of terroir to manifest themselves.