The One-Car Garage, the 1,400-Metre Vine & the Solera That Never Ends
In Arafo, at the heart of the Valle de Güímar, Juan Francisco Fariña Pérez — JuanFra to his friends — makes wine in a bodega no bigger than a one-car garage. From 100 to 1,400 metres up the eastern slope of Tenerife, he tends indigenous varieties on volcanic sand and clay, producing gorgeously pure, elegant wines that showcase the most respectful views on farming and winemaking in the Canary Islands.
Origin — The Father's Vines, 1998 & the Laurels of Güímar
Bodega Juan Francisco Fariña Pérez is a family winery with roots that stretch back generations in the Valle de Güímar, but its modern identity was forged in a single act of inheritance. In 1998, Juan Francisco Fariña Pérez — known to everyone who knows him as JuanFra — took over the vineyards from his father. He had studied winemaking in Tenerife, not to start something new, but to continue something old — the family tradition of cultivating vines and making wine in the dry, windswept eastern valley of the island. The winery had been producing wine in bulk for years. It was not until 1999 that JuanFra began bottling his own references under the DO Valle de Güímar — a small appellation that had received its DO status only three years earlier, in 1996, and which today consists of just 12 wineries.
JuanFra calls his project Los Loros — a name taken from the laurel shrubs that proliferate in the upper parts of the Valle de Güímar. The laurel is not merely decorative. It is a symbol of the valley's microclimate — the moisture, the altitude, the Atlantic influence that allows these ancient trees to thrive where, by all rights, they should not. The name is a declaration of place. A reminder that the wine is not made in a cellar alone. It is made in the laurel-scented air of the upper valley, in the volcanic sand and clay of the eastern slope, in the shadow of Las Cañadas del Teide.
The bodega itself is no bigger than a one-car garage — a fact that JuanFra's importers mention with a kind of wonder, as if the physical smallness of the space somehow amplifies the significance of what happens inside it. And perhaps it does. In an era of industrial wineries the size of aircraft hangars, JuanFra's operation is a manual, intimate, almost domestic affair — a place where the winemaker touches every barrel, stirs every lees, and decides, by taste and intuition, when each wine is ready to leave. The garage is not a limitation. It is a scale of intention.
Since taking over, JuanFra has expanded his father's original plantings into a network of owned and contracted vineyards across the valley. He owns most of his own vines, but he also works with small farmers in the area, promoting sustainable practices among them and sourcing fruit from parcels that he could not farm alone. The result is a range of wines that spans the entire elevation gradient of the DO — from 100 metres near the coast to 1,400 metres at Las Dehesas — some of the highest elevation vines in all of Europe. And at every altitude, the philosophy is the same: holistic farming, indigenous varieties, minimal intervention, and a respect for the place that borders on devotion.
The Place — Valle de Güímar, 100 to 1,400 Metres & the Highest Vines in Europe
Valle de Güímar is a small DO on the eastern coast of Tenerife — a dry, windswept valley that climbs from the Atlantic Ocean up the slope of Las Cañadas del Teide, the volcanic caldera that dominates the island's interior. The DO received its status in 1996 and currently consists of only 12 wineries — one of the smallest appellations in Spain. The elevation range is extraordinary: from 100 metres near the coast to 1,400 metres at Las Dehesas, including some of the highest elevation vines in all of Europe. The climate is Atlantic — moderated by the trade winds (the Alisos) that blow cool air from the ocean, keeping temperatures moderate despite the island's subtropical latitude. Rainfall is minimal. Sunshine is abundant. And the soils are a patchwork of volcanic sand, clay, and limestone — poor, free-draining, and rich in the mineral character that defines Canarian wine.
Arafo — 700–800 Metres, the Heart of the DO
JuanFra's winery is located in the town of Arafo, at the center of the Valle de Güímar, at an elevation of 700–800 metres. Most of his vines are in the surrounding area — Listán Blanco and Albillo Criollo planted just outside the winery, on terraces of volcanic sand and clay. These are the core parcels — the vines that produce the bulk of his range, from the stainless-steel-raised Listán Blanco to the barrel-aged Albillo Criollo. The farming here is old-fashioned: the vines grow untrained or on simple trellises, the soil is worked by hand, and no chemicals are used. The trade winds keep temperatures moderate, but the eastern exposure means intense morning sun and a dry, demanding climate that forces the vines to dig deep for water.
Las Dehesas — 1,400 Metres, the Highest Vines in Europe
Above Arafo, beyond the reach of ordinary tractors, lies Las Dehesas — a zone of centenarian Listán Blanco vines at 1,400 metres elevation, perched on terraces so steep that they are only reachable by a special tractor designed for extreme terrain. These vines are very low yielding — the altitude, the wind, and the volcanic stone conspire to produce tiny quantities of fruit with extraordinary concentration. No one else makes the effort to harvest grapes from this terrain. JuanFra is alone in his quest to preserve these old vines — a solitary figure on a slope that most growers have abandoned in favor of easier, lower-altitude parcels. The fruit from Las Dehesas goes into his most celebrated wine: La Bota de Mateo, a solera-method white aged in old Manzanilla casks.
Holistic Farming in a Conventional Valley
Conventional farming is typical in this area of the island — the Valle de Güímar has not undergone the natural wine revolution that has transformed parts of Tenerife's north coast. But JuanFra believes in a more holistic style of farming — practicing organic viticulture, incorporating some biodynamic methods, and favoring a sustainable philosophy that looks at the vineyard as an ecosystem rather than a production unit. He owns most of his own vines and works with small farmers in the area, promoting sustainable practices among them and sourcing fruit from parcels that share his commitment to soil health, biodiversity, and the long-term resilience of the valley's viticulture. The result is a network of vineyards that are not merely chemical-free but actively alive.
The Grapes — A Canarian Palette
JuanFra's vineyards are planted to a diverse array of indigenous varieties: Listán Blanco — the ubiquitous white grape of the Canary Islands, fresh and mineral; Albillo Criollo — a variety found primarily on La Palma but cultivated here with equal success; Vijariego Blanco (also known as Diego) — a textured, saline white; Marmajuelo — aromatic and complex; Gual — fresh and citrus-driven; Malvasía Aromática — floral and perfumed; Listán Negro — the island's signature red, pale and elegant; Tintilla — a dark, structured red; and Moscatel de Alejandría — the ancient aromatic grape introduced by Phoenicians. Many of these vines are ungrafted — the phylloxera louse never reached the Canaries — and some at Las Dehesas are centenarian, direct descendants of the first European vines planted on the island in the 15th century.
Winemaking — Gorgeously Pure, Without Being Too Serious
JuanFra's winemaking philosophy is captured in a phrase that his importers use with evident affection: he delivers wines that are "gorgeously pure and elegant expressions of these indigenous varietals, without being too serious (or reductive)." This is a crucial distinction. In the world of natural wine, "serious" often means austere, challenging, technically demanding. JuanFra's wines are not that. They are serious in their intent but generous in their delivery — wines that speak clearly of their place and their grape, but that do not require a dissertation to enjoy. Whole clusters when fermenting reds? Check. Gentle pressings and very minimal, if any, SO₂ additions? Check. But also: drinkability, pleasure, and a sense of joy that is too often missing from the natural wine conversation.
The whites are made with meticulous gentleness. The Listán Blanco is hand-harvested, destemmed, and gently pressed with a pneumatic press. Fermented in stainless steel tank for 12 days with temperature control, then raised in the same vessel with infrequent, gentle stirring. The wine rests for 11 months in tank with some time under flor — the veil of yeast that protects the wine and adds a layer of saline, nutty complexity. Bottled without fining or filtering. The Albillo Criollo follows a similar path but spends a few months in used French oak barrels on the lees, with semi-regular stirring, before being bottled with a light fining but no filtration, and a tiny dose of SO₂. The Siete Lomas — a blend of Marmajuelo, Gual, and Malvasía Aromática — is cofermented and aged in gently used oak barrels, spending a few months on the lees with regular stirring before being bottled without fining or filtration and a touch of added SO₂.
The La Bota de Mateo is the crown jewel of the cellar — and the most technically demanding. Made from 100% Listán Blanco from 80–100-year-old vines (some sources say 90+ years) rooted in volcanic stone and clay at high elevation, the grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and gently pressed. The juice is racked into two 500-litre botas that had been used for Manzanilla — old sherry casks that carry the memory of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in their staves. Fermented without temperature control, the wine remains in these barrels with its lees for 11 to 13 months, partially under flor. But the true brilliance of the cuvée is its method: it is a perpetual reserve — a solera system in which JuanFra takes a small saca (withdrawal) each year while adding that vintage's wine to the barrel. The barrel never empties. It is a living, evolving vessel that contains not merely one vintage but a conversation between many — a wine that tastes of time itself.
The reds are made with the same lightness of touch. The Listán Negro comes from 40–50-year-old vines (or 90+ year old vines at 1,400 metres for the Edición Especial) rooted in volcanic sand and limestone. The grapes are hand-harvested and whole bunches are trodden by foot in open plastic containers. Fermentation lasts for 15 days with daily punch-downs to keep the cap submerged. After fermentation finishes, the wine is transferred to 500L used French oak barrels for 10 months, then racked to stainless steel tank before bottling without fining or filtering and only modest amounts of added SO₂. The Vindemia — a newer cuvée from younger vines at 350–1,450 metres — splits the harvest 50/50: half destemmed in stainless steel, half whole cluster and foot-trodden in plastic fermenters. Both ferment without temperature control, then are pressed and blended into a 500L used French oak barrel. Bottled after about a month of rest without fining, filtration, or added SO₂. The result is a red of extraordinary freshness and Atlantic purity — 11.5% ABV, less than 7 mg/l total sulfur, 1,500 bottles.
The Wines — From the Stainless-Steel Listán Blanco to the Perpetual Solera of La Bota de Mateo
Bodega Juan Francisco Fariña Pérez produces a focused range of wines under the Los Loros label — all made from indigenous varieties, all expressing the volcanic, Atlantic character of the Valle de Güímar, and all made with a philosophy of minimal intervention, gentle handling, and modest sulphur. The range spans the entire elevation gradient of the DO, from coastal Moscatel to 1,400-metre Listán Blanco, and includes some of the most sought-after wines in the Canary Islands.
Los Loros "Listán Blanco de Canarias"
White — Arafo, Valle de Güímar100% Listán Blanco from multiple parcels of 20–50-year-old vines rooted in volcanic sand and clay at 700–800 metres near Arafo. Hand-harvested, destemmed, and gently pressed with a pneumatic press. Fermented in stainless steel tank for 12 days with temperature control, then raised in the same vessel with infrequent, gentle stirring. The wine rested for 11 months in tank with some time under flor — the natural yeast veil that adds saline, nutty complexity. Bottled without fining or filtering. The result is a wine of wonderful fruit and volcanic minerality — citrus, green apple, white flowers, and a smoky, Atlantic undertow that screams for fried fish or any richly flavored wonder of the sea. ~12% ABV.
Los Loros "Albillo Criollo"
White — Terraces, Valle de GüímarMade from young Albillo Criollo vines grown on terraces high on the island — a variety found primarily on La Palma but cultivated here with remarkable success. Hand-harvested, destemmed, and gently pressed after a short cold maceration. The wine spent a few months in used French oak barrels on the lees, with semi-regular stirring. The finished wine is bottled with a light fining but no filtration, and a tiny dose of SO₂. The result is a wine of unusual texture and aromatic complexity — stone fruit, honeyed almond, and a mineral backbone that speaks of the volcanic terraces. Albillo Criollo is not related to the Albillo varieties of the Spanish mainland. It is a distinctly Canarian grape, and JuanFra is one of the few growers outside La Palma who champions it. ~12% ABV.
Los Loros "Siete Lomas"
White — Valle de GüímarA blend of Marmajuelo, Gual, and Malvasía Aromática — three indigenous white grapes of the Canary Islands, cofermented and aged in gently used oak barrels. The grapes are hand-harvested in 15kg boxes, destemmed, and gently pressed after a 24-hour cold maceration into steel tank for spontaneous primary fermentation, then racked into used barrels for 5 months with lees stirring for the first two months. The finished wine is bottled without fining or filtration, and a tiny dose of SO₂. The result is a wine of extraordinary richness and complexity — sweet chestnut honey, floral perfume, spice, and a creamy, almost sherry-like texture that makes it a natural partner for blue cheese. One taster described it as "rich and creamy, almost sherry like, with sweet chestnut honey, floral, and some spice notes, bodied (rich)." ~12–13% ABV. ~216 cases (6pk) produced.
Los Loros "Vijariego Blanco"
Orange / Skin-Contact — Arafo, Valle de GüímarMade from young vines of Vijariego Blanco — also known as Diego — planted on volcanic sand and limestone at 600 metres above sea level near Arafo. The grapes are destemmed and macerated on their skins for about two weeks during fermentation, then rested in stainless steel tank for 10 months. The finished wine is bottled without fining, filtration, or addition of SO₂. The result is a skin-contact white of remarkable purity and texture — the two-week maceration extracts color and tannin without aggression, creating a wine that is amber-hued, grippy, and complex, with notes of dried apricot, orange peel, wild herbs, and volcanic smoke. A wine that connects the drinker to the ancient practice of skin-fermented whites that predates the modern separation of red and white winemaking. ~12% ABV. Zero added SO₂.
Los Loros "Moscatel"
Orange / Skin-Contact — Near Arafo, Valle de GüímarMade from 20–25-year-old Muscat of Alexandria vines planted close to the sea near Arafo — one of the oldest cultivated grapes in the world, introduced to Iberia by Phoenician traders around 1000 BC. The grapes are destemmed, then fermented with their skins for 14 days. The wine is then pressed into 300L used French oak barrels to rest on its lees for 7 months, with stirring for the first 2 months. The finished wine is bottled without fining or filtering and with only a very small addition of SO₂. The result is a wine of intense aromatic power and unexpected structure — orange blossom, jasmine, honeysuckle, and rose petal from the Muscat, framed by the grip of skin contact and the saline minerality of the volcanic coast. A wine that proves Moscatel is not merely a sweet grape but a vessel of extraordinary versatility. ~12% ABV.
Los Loros "La Bota de Mateo"
White / Solera — Las Dehesas, Valle de GüímarThe crown jewel of the estate — and one of the most unique wines in the Canary Islands. Made from 100% Listán Blanco from 80–100-year-old vines (some 90+ years) rooted in volcanic stone and clay at 1,300–1,400 metres elevation on the terraces of Las Dehesas. Hand-harvested, destemmed, and gently pressed with a pneumatic press. Fermented without temperature control in two 500-litre botas that had been used for Manzanilla — old sherry casks from Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The wine remains in these barrels with its lees for 11–13 months, partially under flor. But the true distinction is the method: it is a perpetual reserve — a solera system in which JuanFra takes a small saca each year while adding that vintage's wine to the barrel. The barrel never empties. It is a living, evolving vessel containing a conversation between many vintages. Bottled without fining or filtering and only modest amounts of SO₂. The result is a wine of extraordinary depth, salinity, and temporal complexity — preserved lemon, almond, sea salt, and a finish that seems to contain not merely one year but a decade. ~12–13% ABV. Extremely limited.
Los Loros "Listán Negro"
Red — Valle de Güímar100% Listán Negro from various parcels of 40–50-year-old vines rooted in volcanic sand and limestone at altitudes ranging from 700 to 1,300 metres. The grapes are hand-harvested and whole bunches are trodden by foot in open plastic containers. Fermentation lasts for 15 days with daily punch-downs to keep the cap submerged. After fermentation finishes, the wine is transferred to 500L used French oak barrels for 10 months, then racked to stainless steel tank before bottling without fining or filtering and only modest amounts of added SO₂. The result is a wine that "shines brightly, with a savory salinity accompanying its smooth tannins and spicy red fruit" — a red of Atlantic elegance and volcanic depth, light in body but intense in character. Perfect with charred broccoli and grilled sausages. ~12% ABV.
Los Loros "Tinto Edición Especial"
Red — Las Dehesas, Valle de GüímarA special edition made from 90% Listán Negro, 5% Tintilla, and 5% Listán Blanco — a field blend that reflects the traditional Canarian practice of co-planting red and white varieties in the same parcel. Sourced from 90+ year old vines at 1,400 metres elevation on the terraces of Las Dehesas — the same extreme terrain that produces La Bota de Mateo. The soils are volcanic sand. The vines are untrained. The farming is by hand. The grapes are hand-harvested in 15kg boxes, 20% destemmed, and fermented half in steel tank and half in used French oak barrels. After 6 months, the wine is racked and the vessels are swapped for another 6 months of ageing. Bottled without fining or filtration, with only modest amounts of SO₂. The result is a wine of extraordinary concentration and volcanic intensity — dark cherry, wild herbs, smoked paprika, and a structure that speaks of altitude, age, and the patience of a man who climbs a mountain to harvest grapes that most growers have abandoned. ~12–13% ABV. ~400 cases (6pk) produced.
Los Loros "Vindemia"
Red — Valle de Güímar100% Listán Negro from various parcels of 20–30-year-old vines at 350–1,450 metres elevation. The soils are clay over volcanic pumices. The grapes are hand-harvested and split 50/50: half is destemmed and deposited into a stainless steel tank, and the other half is left whole cluster and foot-trodden in plastic fermenters. Both portions are left to ferment without temperature control, then pressed and combined to rest in a 500L used French oak barrel, where the wine finishes malolactic conversion. Bottled after about a month of rest without fining, filtering, or sulfur addition. The result is a wine of remarkable freshness and purity — a new cuvée from younger vines, harvested early and made in a fresh style without heavy extraction. 11.5% ABV. <7 mg/l total sulfur. 1,500 bottles. A wine that proves Listán Negro does not need weight to have character. Zero added SO₂.
Legacy — The One-Car Garage, the Solera in the Clouds & the Most Respectful Views in the Valley
Bodega Juan Francisco Fariña Pérez matters because it proves that great wine does not require great space — that a bodega no bigger than a one-car garage, staffed by one man with occasional help, can produce wines that rival the most celebrated names in the Canary Islands and beyond. In an era of industrial scale and marketing budgets, JuanFra's operation is a rebuke to the assumption that quality requires quantity — a demonstration that the most important ingredient in wine is not technology or capital, but attention.
Their legacy is agricultural. By working across an elevation gradient of 100 to 1,400 metres — from coastal Moscatel to centenarian Listán Blanco on terraces that require a special tractor — by practicing organic and biodynamic methods in a valley where conventional farming is the norm, by working with small farmers to promote sustainable practices, and by preserving vines that most growers have abandoned as too difficult, JuanFra has created a model for Valle de Güímar viticulture that is closer to stewardship than to production. He is, as his importers note, "alone in his quest to preserve these old vines" — a solitary figure on a slope that the wine world had forgotten.
Their legacy is oenological. The La Bota de Mateo — a perpetual reserve solera of Listán Blanco from 80–100-year-old vines at 1,300–1,400 metres, aged in old Manzanilla casks under flor — is a wine that almost no one else in the world makes, because almost no one else has access to these vines and these casks. It is a conversation between Jerez and Tenerife, between the Atlantic coast of Andalucía and the volcanic slopes of the Canaries, between the solera tradition of Sanlúcar and the indigenous viticulture of an Atlantic island. The Vindemia — 100% Listán Negro, 50/50 destemmed and whole cluster, foot-trodden, zero sulphur, 11.5% ABV — is a red of such freshness and purity that it redefines what Canarian red wine can be. And the Siete Lomas — Marmajuelo, Gual, and Malvasía cofermented — is a white of such richness and complexity that one taster compared it to sherry.
And their legacy is philosophical. JuanFra's conviction — that wine should be "gorgeously pure and elegant... without being too serious (or reductive)" — has resonated with a wine culture that is hungry for pleasure as well as meaning. His wines are not lectures. They are invitations — to drink, to eat, to enjoy. Whole clusters? Check. Gentle pressings? Check. Minimal SO₂? Check. But also: drinkability, generosity, and joy. The one-car garage is not a symbol of limitation. It is a symbol of focus — of a man who has decided that the best way to make wine is to make less of it, but to make it better.
From the father's vineyards in 1998, to the 1999 decision to bottle under DO Valle de Güímar, to the recuperation of abandoned centenarian vines at 1,400 metres, to the solera cask that never empties, to the foot-trodden reds and the stainless-steel whites and the skin-contact Moscatel, Bodega Juan Francisco Fariña Pérez is a testament to what happens when a winemaker decides that the best wine is the one that tastes most like the place it came from — and that the place, in this case, is a dry, windswept valley on the eastern slope of Tenerife, where the laurels grow, the trade winds blow, and the vines climb higher than almost anywhere else in Europe. The garage is small. The mountain is high. And the wine, against all odds, is magnificent.