Bien de Altura

Description Bien de Altura

Bien de Altura is the wine project of winemaker Carmelo Peña Santana on Gran Canaria. From the high-altitude vineyards of San Mateo, he produces fresh, distinctive wines using local grape varieties. Old vines, volcanic soils and the different locations and exposures of the plots play a central role in the estate’s style.

Regions of Bien de Altura

Canarias

Appellations of Bien de Altura

D.O.P. Islas Canarias - Gran Canaria

Winemaker Carmelo Peña Santana

Owner Carmelo Peña Santana

Founding 2017

Links

History Bien de Altura

Carmelo Peña began studying oenology in Tarragona in 2012. He then gained experience in several wine regions, including the Douro and Bierzo. In 2017, he returned to Gran Canaria and founded Bien de Altura. His aim was to bring renewed attention to the island’s old vineyards and wine culture. The estate is a first-generation project that developed with the support of family and friends.

Bien de Altura
Camino de las Arenillas 65, 35319
Santa Brígida
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Varieties Bien de Altura

Bien de Altura mainly works with native grape varieties from the Canary Islands. Listán Negro forms the basis of many of its red wines, together with Listán Prieto and several local white grape varieties. Some of the vines are more than 80 years old. Certain plots even contain vines that are over 100 years old.

Terroir Bien de Altura

The vineyards are mainly located in San Mateo, in the north-east of Gran Canaria, at altitudes of approximately 1,000 to 1,400 metres. The vines grow on steep mountain slopes with volcanic soils containing picón, sand, loam, clay and rock. The cool trade winds and high altitude keep temperatures lower. This helps the grapes retain their freshness and allows the estate to produce wines with moderate alcohol levels. The location and orientation of each plot have a major influence on the character of the wine.

Vinification Bien de Altura

Carmelo Peña favours long macerations and gentle extraction to create wines with depth while maintaining lightness and balance. For Ikewen, whole bunches with their stems are fermented in stainless-steel tanks. After approximately five weeks, the grapes are gently pressed. Most of the wine continues to mature in stainless steel, while a smaller part ages in used French oak barrels. The wine is clarified naturally and bottled without filtration or artificial fining. The exact method varies according to the wine and the individual plot.

More Info

The names of the wines refer to Amazigh, a language connected to the Berber culture from which the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands descended. Ikewen means “origin”, Sansofí means “welcome”, and Tidao means “connection” or “unity”. These names highlight the estate’s connection to family, the landscape and the history of Gran Canaria.

75 cl.

95 R. Parker

New

Ikewen 2024

Canarias

Bien de Altura

D.O.P. Islas Canarias - Gran Canaria

75 cl.

red

38,77 € /pc

32,04 € excl. VAT

Assembly

Listán Negro (85%), Listán blanco, Listán Prieto, Vijariego blanco

Content

75 cl.

Year

2024

Description

Ikewen means “origin” in Amazigh. Amazigh is the name most commonly used today for the Indigenous peoples of North Africa, formerly often referred to as Berbers. The first inhabitants of the Canary Islands also had North African roots. With this name, Carmelo Peña pays tribute to his family and to the people who helped him establish Bien de Altura. Ikewen is the village wine of San Mateo, a high-altitude area of Gran Canaria where the Bien de Altura project began. The wine is a blend of several plots in the north-east of the island, located at altitudes ranging from approximately 1,100 to 1,460 metres.