Canary Islands Wines Win 18 Awards in Brazil as Wine Tourism Profile Grows

Canary Islands wines have made a strong first appearance at the Brazil Wine Challenge, winning 18 awards for 14 bodegas and giving the archipelago a fresh international boost at a time when food, wine and landscape-led travel are becoming increasingly important parts of Canary Islands tourism.

The result was announced on 26 June 2026 after the 13th edition of the Brazil Wine Challenge, held from 16 to 19 June in Bento Goncalves, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Forty Canary Islands wine references were entered for the first time, with 45% of them receiving recognition. The awards included four grand gold medals and fourteen gold medals.

For holidaymakers, this is not a travel alert, a new visitor rule or a change to flights, hotels or resort access. Its importance is different. It strengthens the case for seeing the Canary Islands not only as a beach and winter-sun destination, but also as one of Europe's most distinctive wine and gastronomy regions, with volcanic soils, pre-phylloxera grape varieties, historic cultivation systems and vineyard landscapes that can add real depth to a holiday.

A first Brazil Wine Challenge appearance with a high hit rate

The headline figure is striking: 18 awards from 40 Canary Islands entries. In a competition that brought together 1,127 samples from 190 wineries across 19 countries, that is a meaningful debut rather than a symbolic appearance. The wines were assessed by an international jury of 89 specialists from nine nationalities through blind tasting, which gives the result particular value for a region still building broader recognition outside Europe.

The Canary Islands presence in Brazil was supported by the Government of the Canary Islands through the Canary Institute of Agri-Food Quality and the public company Rural Management of the Canary Islands, working with CERVIM, the international centre focused on mountain, steep-slope and small-island viticulture. Alongside the competition entries, the islands used the event to promote their wines to professionals from the American continent through masterclasses and meetings with importers and distributors.

That matters because wine tourism depends on more than medals. Awards create attention, but visitor demand grows when the story behind the bottle is understandable: where the vines grow, why the landscape matters, what grapes are used, which bodegas can be visited, and how wine connects with local food, walking routes, villages, coastlines and rural accommodation.

Which Canary Islands wines won grand gold

The four grand gold medals went to Cumbres de Abona for Flor de Chasna Dulce Natural 2023, Gallo & Quiquere Wines for Gallo Doble Malvasia 2024, Bodega Erupcion for Milagro de Magmasia Seleccion 2023, and Bodegas Eidan for Boliche Blanco Vijariego 2024.

Even for travellers who are not wine specialists, those names show something important about the Canary Islands offer. This is not one single wine style or one island brand repeated in different packaging. The archipelago's wine scene is spread across multiple islands, grape varieties and landscapes. It includes sweet and dry whites, volcanic-influenced whites, reds, barrel-aged expressions, local varieties and small-production wines that often feel closely tied to a specific valley, slope or island.

The fourteen gold medals broadened that picture. Cumbres de Abona also received gold medals for Testamento Dry 2025 and Flor de Chasna Tinto Barrica 2023, while Gallo & Quiquere Wines was recognised for Gallo Moscatel de Alejandria 2025. Bodegas El Lomo won two gold medals for Cuatro Elias 2025 and 1989 Tinto 2023.

Other gold medals went to Bodegas Elysar for Elysar Tinto 2025, Gavias del Sordo for Papaino Malvasia 2025, SAT Viticultores Comarca de Guimar for Brumas de Ayosa Blanco Seco 2025, Onesima Perez Vitega for Vitega Albillo Criollo Blanco 2025, Bodegas Montoro for Montoro Blanco Barrica 2023, Agropecuaria El Guanche for Niray Blanco Seco 2024, Pagos de Reveron for Pagos de Reveron Malvasia 2025, Linaje del Pago for La Cerca Marmajuelo Blanco 2025, and Bodegas Las Tirajanas for Llanos del Corral 2023.

For visitors, the long list is useful because it points towards the diversity of the Canary Islands wine map. Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Palma, Lanzarote and other islands all have distinctive wine cultures. Some bodegas are already part of visitor routes; others are better known to local restaurants, specialist shops or wine professionals. International awards can help turn that fragmented knowledge into a stronger travel idea.

Why wine is becoming a stronger travel reason

The Canary Islands are famous for year-round sunshine, beaches, volcanic scenery and resorts. Those strengths remain central, but the islands are also working to attract visitors who want more layered holidays: food markets, village lunches, vineyard walks, local cheeses, historic towns, coastal drives, stargazing, walking trails and small-group experiences that sit outside the classic pool-and-beach routine.

Wine fits that shift naturally. It gives travellers a reason to move inland, spend time in rural areas, visit family-run businesses, learn about agriculture and understand why the islands look the way they do. A vineyard visit in Tenerife, Lanzarote or Gran Canaria is not just a tasting stop. It can explain volcanic ash, trade winds, altitude, dry farming, terraces, stone walls, old vines, microclimates and grape varieties that survived here in ways that are rare elsewhere in Europe.

That is why the Brazil Wine Challenge result is a tourism story, not only an agriculture story. International recognition can support restaurant positioning, bodega visits, guided excursions, premium hotel wine lists, rural accommodation, local product routes and destination marketing. It also gives tour operators and travel planners a concrete hook for explaining why a Canary Islands holiday can include more than beaches.

For repeat visitors, this is especially relevant. Many people already know the resorts of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote or Fuerteventura well. Wine tourism gives them a reason to return with a different rhythm: one day in a familiar coastal base, another day in a vineyard zone, a lunch in a village restaurant, a tasting linked to local cheese or fish, and a short walk through a landscape that feels far removed from the resort strip.

Volcanic wines and the value of place

The Canary Islands' wine story is unusually place-specific. The islands combine volcanic soils, Atlantic winds, high-altitude plots, coastal humidity, steep slopes, old vines, traditional cultivation systems and a wide range of local grape varieties. Some vineyards sit in black volcanic ash. Others cling to terraces or high-altitude valleys. Some are shaped by trade winds; others by dry southern exposure.

That variation is part of the visitor appeal. Wine becomes a way to read the landscape. In Lanzarote, the sight of vines protected by stone walls in volcanic lapilli is one of the most memorable agricultural landscapes in Europe. In Tenerife, wine areas range from the north coast to high-altitude slopes, with vineyards connected to historic towns, rural houses and restaurants. In Gran Canaria, vineyards can be woven into inland routes that also include ravines, viewpoints and villages. In La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, wine often fits with slow travel, walking, local food and smaller-scale rural tourism.

For many visitors, the bottle is not the only product. The real product is the experience around it: the route, the explanation, the landscape, the local pairing and the memory of tasting something that could not easily come from anywhere else. Awards such as those in Brazil help because they make that uniqueness easier to communicate internationally.

What the Brazil result adds

The Brazil Wine Challenge gave the Canary Islands a platform in South America, a market where the archipelago's wines are less widely known than in Spain or parts of Europe. The agenda included two strategic meetings with importers and distributors, designed to help position the participating references in new external markets.

That commercial element may sound distant from holiday planning, but it is linked. When a destination's food and wine products gain recognition abroad, the destination itself becomes easier to sell as a place with identity. A visitor who has seen Canary Islands wine on a restaurant list, in a specialist shop or through a wine article may be more receptive to a vineyard visit during a trip. Likewise, a traveller who discovers a bottle on holiday may look for it again after returning home.

The two masterclasses in Brazil were also important. Presented under the theme of the Canary Islands as a volcanic territory with unique varieties, they highlighted soils, pre-phylloxera grapes and traditional growing systems connected to landscape, biodiversity and agricultural identity. That is exactly the kind of content that turns wine from a drink into a travel story.

The result also connects with a broader pattern. Canary Islands wine has been increasingly visible in competitions, gastronomic events, hotel programmes and wine-tourism initiatives. The Brazil awards do not stand alone; they add another international proof point to a sector that has been trying to move from local pride to wider recognition.

How visitors can use this news

Travellers do not need to plan a holiday around the Brazil Wine Challenge itself. The practical value is that it identifies wine as a serious part of the Canary Islands experience. Visitors who normally focus on beaches or excursions can add one vineyard or wine-led food experience to their itinerary without changing the nature of the trip.

In Tenerife, wine can combine well with La Laguna, La Orotava, Tacoronte, Icod de los Vinos, the Guimar valley, the Abona area and inland routes between north and south. In Lanzarote, La Geria remains one of the clearest examples of how wine, geology and visitor experience can work together. In Gran Canaria, vineyard visits can be folded into routes through Bandama, Santa Brigida, San Mateo, Tejeda, Agaete or other inland areas, depending on the operator and opening arrangements.

On smaller islands, wine can support a slower style of travel. La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro are already attractive to walkers, nature travellers and visitors looking for a quieter Canary Islands holiday. Local wine can add another layer to those trips, especially when paired with rural accommodation, local restaurants, cheese, honey, fruit, fish or island-specific dishes.

The most important planning point is simple: check opening times and book ahead. Many bodegas are working agricultural businesses, not always walk-in tourist attractions. Some offer scheduled visits, tastings or guided experiences; others receive groups through specialist operators; some are best discovered through restaurants and wine shops rather than direct visits. The quality of the experience is usually better when arranged in advance.

A boost for restaurants, hotels and rural operators

The awards also give tourism businesses a useful tool. Restaurants can use recognised Canary Islands wines to strengthen local menus. Hotels can build more distinctive wine lists and tasting evenings. Rural accommodation owners can recommend nearby bodegas or local food routes. Guides can link wine with geology, agriculture and village heritage. Destination marketers can show that Canary Islands gastronomy has competitive international depth.

This is particularly valuable because many travellers now look for authenticity but still need clear signals. A phrase such as volcanic wine may be intriguing, but awards help reassure visitors that the product is not only unusual; it is also respected by international specialists. That can help convert curiosity into bookings for tastings, guided trips or restaurant choices.

Wine tourism also supports visitor dispersal. The most crowded parts of the Canary Islands are usually coastal resorts, beaches, airport corridors and famous viewpoints. Vineyard experiences can move some spending towards inland villages, agricultural landscapes and smaller businesses, helping spread tourism value more widely. That does not solve all destination-management challenges, but it is one practical way to diversify the holiday economy.

Why the story matters for the Canary Islands brand

The Canary Islands have spent decades building a global reputation for climate reliability and resort holidays. That reputation is powerful, but it can sometimes flatten the islands into one idea: sun. The wine story helps correct that. It shows that the archipelago is also a place of agriculture, craft, geology, biodiversity, small producers and long local traditions.

That wider identity matters in a competitive travel market. Mediterranean destinations, Atlantic islands, city breaks, cruise ports and long-haul winter sun options are all competing for attention. The Canary Islands already have excellent air connectivity and a strong accommodation base. What food and wine add is emotional texture: a sense that each island has products, stories and landscapes worth exploring.

For SEO and traveller search intent, this also matters because many visitors now research around themes rather than only destinations. They search for Canary Islands food experiences, Tenerife wine tours, Lanzarote vineyards, Gran Canaria gastronomy, volcanic wine, local restaurants, bodega visits and things to do beyond the beach. A strong international wine result gives those searches a fresh news reason and a credible entry point.

What this does not mean

The Brazil Wine Challenge result does not mean every award-winning wine will be easy to find during a holiday. Small production, distribution limits and seasonal availability can all affect what visitors see in shops, restaurants or tastings. It also does not mean travellers should expect every bodega to operate like a large visitor attraction.

Nor should wine tourism be treated as a replacement for the islands' established holiday strengths. Beaches, resorts, walking routes, national parks, towns, family attractions and water activities remain central to demand. The better interpretation is that wine adds another reason to explore, especially for visitors who want a richer itinerary or a more local sense of place.

Responsible planning matters too. Vineyard landscapes are working environments, often fragile and privately managed. Visitors should use official routes, respect opening rules, avoid walking into cultivated plots without permission, drive carefully on rural roads and book guided experiences where access is limited. The most rewarding wine tourism is respectful, small-scale and connected to the people who maintain the landscape.

What to watch next

The next question is whether the international visibility generated in Brazil turns into practical tourism products. That could mean more bodega visits, stronger hotel partnerships, new tasting menus, export links, guided routes, wine-and-food packages, or greater promotion of Canary Islands wine in long-haul markets.

There is also a natural connection with the wider push to position the Canary Islands through gastronomy, local products and sustainable rural experiences. Wine can sit alongside cheese, gofio, bananas, tropical fruit, fish, artisan products and island-specific cuisine as part of a more complete travel offer.

For now, the immediate takeaway is positive. The Canary Islands entered 40 wines in a major international competition in Brazil and nearly half received awards. Four achieved grand gold status. Fourteen more won gold. The result gives bodegas, restaurants, hotels, guides and destination promoters a fresh reason to talk about the islands as a wine destination with international credibility.

A fresh reason to explore beyond the resort

For travellers, the story is best understood as an invitation. A Canary Islands holiday can still be as simple as sun, sea and rest. But it can also include a glass of volcanic white in a rural restaurant, a guided tasting after a vineyard walk, a local red with grilled meat in an inland town, or a sweet wine that tells a story about old varieties, altitude and climate.

The Brazil Wine Challenge awards do not change travel logistics, but they do sharpen the image of what the islands can offer. They show a destination where agriculture and tourism can support each other, where rural landscapes have visitor value, and where local producers are earning recognition far beyond the archipelago.

That is good news for the Canary Islands tourism model. It helps diversify the reasons people travel, supports local businesses outside the busiest resort areas and gives visitors a more memorable way to connect with the place they are staying in. For an archipelago often reduced to perfect weather, eighteen wine awards in Brazil are a useful reminder: the Canary Islands also have flavour, terrain, craft and stories worth seeking out.