El Hierro DO

El Hierro, the westernmost and smallest of the Canary Islands, has a long winemaking tradition.

Phylloxera never got a foothold in the Canary Island vineyards, so many of the older varieties, such as Vijariego and Bermejuelo, still survive . These are planted ungrafted to preserve all their natural richness.

El Hierro DO is unique in Spain: when it won Denomination of Origin status in 1994 it was comprised of only two bodegas. One of these is a cooperative that has controlled 95% of the total production of the island since its establishment in 1986. The total number of wineries in this area rose to 9.

The DO encompasses some 200-odd hectares of vineyards that produce primarily white wine grapes, generally for consumption as young, fresh wines. The rosés and reds have similar characteristics and are sold only locally, and even then irregularly.
 

Regulatory Council

Consejo Regulador DO El Hierro
Calle El Hoyo 1
38911 Frontera. El Hierro
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Tel.: 922 559 622 / 616 517 962
doelhierro@doelhierro.es
www.doelhierro.es

Sources

- Spanish Ministry of Agriculture

- Regulatory Council, El Hierro PDO

Formerly, it produced predominantly sweet wines, but today these account for only a small part of total production.