Ollie is the founder of Wine Shop Lanzarote, having set up the tours side of the business in 2017. The island has been his home away from home for 30 years in which he’s witnessed first hand the growth and challenges of producing wine on this very dry island.

You and Lanzarote Wine
Andrew Stark: Hi Ollie. When did your passion for Lanzarote and its wines begin?
Ollie Horton: My parents bought a property on the island back in the 80’s, so I’ve known it since then. I remember wine was sold out of containers from the back of a van – it was local vineyards selling produce next to local fruit and vegetable growers.
AS: That sounds very ‘Lanzarote’ for that period. What was the wine like then?
OH: Well I was too young to drink it legally, but I do remember it wasn’t that great. Perhaps a combination of the quality of the product and my young palate being more used to beer!

AS: At what point did you think “actually, this is really good stuff”?
OH: That was years later when I was in my early 20’s. I was on a surf trip on neighbouring Fuerteventura and the surf wasn’t up to much. We were introduced to some Canary Island wines one evening to pass the time and I was absolutely blown away.
I returned to Lanzarote and started to find out more about the vineyards and what was available. That’s when the idea to do tours came about.
AS: How has the wine industry changed in this time?
OH: Hugely. Wine tourism didn’t exist as we know it today. Although the wineries were producing product much of it went to the locals (and a lot still does!).
As recently as 2017 there were only 14 recognised producers but now there’s 35 listed in the D.O. (Denominación de Origen) Vinos de Lanzarote with several more outside of this.
AS: So you would say that the Canary Islands and Lanzarote in particular have a rich wine producing heritage?
OH: Wine from Tenerife and La Palma were among the most sought after in the world in the 16 & 17th centuries. On Lanzarote wine started being produced after the volcanic eruptions of 1730-1736. The island’s largest bodega, El Grifo, dates back to 1775 – making it one of the 10 oldest in Spain!
Canarian Wine – perception
AS: It strikes me that islands such as Lanzarote are seen as ‘holiday’ destinations before ‘wine producers’.
OH: Yes, I see where you’re coming from. Unfortunately there can be that disconnect with a product once the romance of the holiday has faded with the suntan. However you will have seen that Canarian wine isn’t the cheapest. That in a way, shows both its quality and increasing demand on the back of growing recognition.
AS: What other barriers do you witness regarding the perception of the wine?
OH: A few years back I’ve seen where regular visitors to the island would come and say something like “I had this wine in 1982 – and it was rubbish, so you’d better be able to prove otherwise…”.
In every instance, I’ve been able to prove otherwise [laughs] which shows the importance of actually trying the product both on the island and at home!
AS: Would you say there’s still an education exercise to be done?
OH: Very much so. Don’t get me wrong, the tourism boards and Saborea Lanzarote promote the island for it’s wine and gastronomy more than ever and rightly so. But everyone is different; some people are genuinely interested in wine, so it helps us to immerse them in the stories and background and encourage them to taste wine. Other people just aren’t interested, which is fine. There’s other things on the island.
AS: We’ve touched on quality a few times. In a tourist setting, is this a core priority?
OH: Without a doubt. The producers are extremely proud of what they do and many of the top-end restaurants stock the local wines. If it was no good then they wouldn’t do it for long.
Expanding into new markets
AS: So the quality is good, people come to the island. But how do you break these wrong perceptions?
OH: I won’t lie and say it’s easy. People have their favourite wines and grapes and regions and when a bottle is the best part of €30, there’s a lot of convincing to do.
AS: Do you put value into the role brand plays?
OH: It helps with recognition certainly. The bodegas are much more professional looking these days, but importantly retain their heritage. If you look at the bottles used by Vega de Yuco for example (blue bottle, far left) – they are very recognisable and have fantastic shelf appeal too. People recall this before the name. However, this just isn’t justified unless there’s a good product behind the label.
AS: Do you see this as important when wines are challenging for space on restaurant wine lists?
OH: Yes. I think there needs to be an initial ‘table appeal’, especially when the price point goes up.
AS: So how are you spreading the word about these wines?
OH: There’s a great story to tell here and it’s backed up by a great product. There’s several tried and tested routes to market which we use and it starts with creating brand advocates in a round about way.
– Fans, supporters, champions…?
OH: Yes. People who come on holiday and take that memory home. Do they search it out locally, or buy online from us? Do they share it with friends and recount the history or the process? This not only builds ‘fans’ but also dispels some myths too.
AS: So you would see tasting events as an important channel?
OH: Yes – we’ve done events and will continue to do them moving forward. From personal experience they can be so important as they really embed you into a product and the values of the people who make it.
I attend wine and beer events and it’s so good to take part in them, find a new flavour you’ve not had before and the questions coming from the audience are fascinating (in a good way).
AS: I’ve been on one of your wine tours and loved the contrast between the larger producers and the smaller ones.
OH: I’m pleased you liked that. We really try to support the small producers. It’s not for any financial gain by any means, but it’s because they really represent the authenticity and original identity of the island’s wine heritage, plus they are so personable. If they are not in the DO, passing trade and tours like ours is their only sales outlet. (Note; Being part of the D.O. Vinos de Lanzarote makes it easier to sell to restaurants and export to other countries).
AS: The tradition and heritage is a large part of the appeal don’t you think?
OH: It is and that’s why story telling and ambassadors are important. If the perception is that the wines just appeared a few years ago, then it’s part of our job to change that thinking and show how much it’s an integral part of what the island produces – outside of tourism.
Limiting factors?
AS: I’ve been to the island so many times and understand the resources aren’t unlimited. How might this affect the industry?
OH: Well it’s no secret that water is one of the most precious commodities on Lanzarote and you can’t just water the crops with desalinated seawater as it doesn’t have the nutrients the crop needs, so there’s the first problem.
Secondly is yield – the traditional vineyards in Lanzarote don’t have the same yield as a vineyard in France for example. This means there’s the potential battle of tradition against changing methods or grape variety to maximise yield. Or to put it in another way, profit.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. I like to look at this all in a more positive light. The climate is consistent, so we never have issues with grape ripening at all. No there won’t ever be a glut of stock due to the scale of the industry, however scarcity creates demand..?

AS: From a marketing perspective, yes that’s true.
OH: ..although like any business, each producer needs to be financially viable. Personally, I’m a fan of tradition – it’s the unique nature of the island which makes the wine what it is. In the same way a wine from France is particular to it’s region and the quality of the harvest. This is where lots of the brand value lies in wine in my opinion.
AS: I completely agree with that. It seems like the challenges of producing wine on the island are both a blessing and a curse…
OH: True – although I wouldn’t change it. We don’t want to make a generic product. We want something that represents the island, and these wines do just that.
AS: Back to the consumer – is the interest in volcanic wines increasing?
OH: They are in vogue right now and that of course not just helps us from a footfall point of view, but sparks the attention of columnists and sommeliers which helps to get wines on restaurant wine lists and into the conscience of the public too.
The effect of the volcanic setting (talking from a Lanzarote perspective) is how the grape develops and imparts it’s flavours. Our wines are usually young as a consequence – and this is another factor to perhaps why they aren’t as well travelled as others.
AS: You mention restaurants, does that mean you’re focussing on B2B as well as B2C?
OH: B2C is the main focus of my business, but we’re not adverse to working with the trade, however it’s got to be right. We’re not about volume and to work with a restaurant it would need to be based on shared values. The restaurants we work with really understand us and the product, and we’re at a scale where we can deal with them personally which is important to us.
However to commit to too much would be a mistake right now. A large percentage of the wine is consumed on the island and a bad harvest would limit an already small output – speaking globally. What we don’t want to do is make a commitment we can’t support.
AS: This makes me think of consumer habits; we’re too used to having what we want whenever we want don’t you think?
OH: That’s a good point. On a bigger picture ‘we’ perhaps should be more used to seasonality and accepting availability variances.
AS: …and this brings us back to locality and provenance…
OH: Yes it does.
Modernisation?
AS: We’ve mentioned in passing the tradition and heritage. Do you see this changing in the short term?
OH: I think it would be a mistake. There’s perhaps things that can aid the workers on the farm – especially when it comes to moving large quantities of harvested grapes from the side of a volcano. But in terms of the vineyards themselves, as mentioned before, I’m a strong advocate of them remaining as they always have been.
AS: What about in terms of alternate packaging, such as tinned wine?
OH: I don’t see that on the horizon right now. It’s something I’m paying interest in from a personal point of view, but the wineries here are not on such a vast production or export scale that it could be made cost effective.
AS: What would ‘look good’ for the industry moving forward?
OH: Recognition and respect. And some rain would be good too.
Ollie Horton is Director and Founder of Wine Tours / Shop Lanzarote.

Hailing from Guernsey, he left the world of Investment Banking for time in the sun and in the surf and has lived in the Canaries since 2013.
His passion in winemaking and viticulture are evident in his business ventures.