By Marco Trujillo and Borja Suarez
LA PALMA, Spain (Reuters) – Sales of a red wine that shares its name with the Cumbre Vieja volcano on Spain’s La Palma have soared since the eruption began three months ago, providing an unexpected windfall for the Bodegas Teneguia vineyard.
“Since the volcano hit, the name Cumbre Vieja has been all over the news … and that’s given a serious boom to sales,” said head winemaker Carlos Lozano.
“In fact we’re totally sold out.”
A blend of seven different grapes, Cumbre Vieja – named for the spiny volcanic ridge that extends from the centre of the island to its southernmost point – was created in 2019 and bottled last February for sale to restaurants.
It sold slowly at first, with around half the 10,000 bottles going to customers in the Canary Islands until demand from the mainland exploded with the eruption in September. The remaining supply sold out in six weeks.
For 86 days red lava spilled out of the crater, carving a destructive path to the ocean that buried thousands of houses and forced the evacuation of many more until the volcano suddenly went quiet last Monday.
Scientists say this may signal the end but will not declare the eruption officially over unless the lack of seismic activity continues to Dec. 24.
The vineyard was largely unaffected and Lozano said periodic volcanic activity has positive effects alongside the damage caused. “All this ash that has caused this destruction has also built up a very fertile subsoil,” he said.
The small, gravel-like rocks known as lapilli thrown out by the eruption also help retain water, important as the island receives less and less rainfall due to climate change.
“It’s an ideal material to grow and maintain plants that don’t need too much water.”
(Reporting by Marco Trujillo and Borja Suarez; writing by Nathan Allen in Madrid; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
