The Island Wines Summit will bring the world’s wine elite together in Tenerife.

The unique character of the islands is reflected in their culture, landscape and the products they yield. A clear example of this is island wine, whose distinctive characteristics make it worthy of the attention of winemakers and sommeliers from around the globe. To provide a forum for exploring these unique aspects of island wine in greater depth, Tenerife will host the Island Wines Summit from 21 to 23 June.

Organised by Vocento Gastronomía and supported by the Tenerife Island Council, Tenerife Tourism and Vinos de Tenerife, this professional gathering will bring together some of the world's leading wine experts. Through masterclasses, round-table discussions and tastings led by sector experts, the three-day event will explore the characteristics of wines from various island regions, including Tenerife, Crete, Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia and the Azores.
 
This is an opportunity to bring together winemakers, producers, specialist journalists and internationally renowned sommeliers, as well as Masters of Wine (MW) and Master Sommeliers (MS), in Tenerife. The island embodies the uniqueness of its products and its commitment to terroir, making it the ideal host for this international gathering. During its official presentation, Dimple Melwani (CEO of Turismo de Tenerife) described the event as “an extraordinary opportunity to continue positioning Tenerife as a leading international gastronomic and wine destination”. Lope Afonso and Valentín Esteban González, Vice-President and Councillor of the Tenerife Island Council respectively, also emphasised the event's strategic importance for the island's primary sector, specifically the wine sector, winemakers, and Designations of Origin. Their work builds on that of generations of people who, through hard work and dedication, have produced wines of the highest quality in Tenerife”.

The magic of island winemaking

In this, its first edition — following a one-day event on island wines in Tenerife itself last November — the Island Wines Summit offers a comprehensive look at the world of island wines. Consequently, the programme will cover everything from the most scientific aspects of the subject to the cultural identity linked to island wine, whilst also reflecting on the present and future of these wines.
 
To introduce the subject, the summit will open on Sunday 21 June with a special inaugural tasting led by Josep Roca. He is the sommelier at El Celler de Can Roca*** in Girona, and is renowned for his expertise in food and wine pairing, as well as his mastery of the dining room ceremony.
 Josep Roca will explore the intrinsic relationship between the islands, their wines and the sea — a sea that unites us all — in a tasting that will undoubtedly also serve as a masterclass in his passion for the craft.
 
Leading figures from the world of sommelier will also be present at the Island Wines Summit on Monday, including: Pascaline Lepeltier, Matteo Montone and Paz Levinson. Master Sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier will discuss the global perspective on island wines, drawing on her expertise in organic, biodynamic and natural viticulture, as well as her experience in managing a wine list featuring over 2,000 wines in her role as beverage director at Chambers restaurant in New York. Meanwhile, fellow Master Sommelier and current wine director of the Estelle Group in London, Matteo Montone, will lead a tasting session focused on discovering the islands’ sweet wines.
 
Paz Levinson, an Argentine sommelier based in France and executive sommelier at the three-Michelin-starred Anne Sophie Pic restaurant, will share the stage for a tasting discussion on Atlantic wines with António Maçanita. He is one of the most innovative winemakers on the Portuguese scene, known for reviving historic grape varieties and championing terroir at his winery in the Azores. Also on the panel will be Jonatan García Lima. He is a winemaker at the Tenerife winery Suertes del Marqués and has played a key role in the revival and promotion of the Canarian vineyard. Finally, there will be Roberto Santana. He is a producer of wines that faithfully express the character of the volcanic soils and native Canarian grape varieties at Bodega Envínate in Tenerife.

On the second day of the conference, there will be an opportunity to engage in a wide-ranging discussion about new avant-garde Mediterranean wines. This discussion will draw on the experiences of winemakers and winery owners from various islands in the Mediterranean. Representing the eastern Mediterranean will be Yiannis Kyriakidis, a winemaker at Vouni Panayia Winery in Cyprus. His work focuses on preserving and expressing his island’s native grape varieties. Also joining us will be Aimilios Andrei, the co-founder of Aôri Winery in Crete. He will talk about his interesting winemaking project in the mountainous region of western Crete, amidst the unique landscapes and microclimates of the foothills of the White Mountains of Chania. Representing the Italian regions of Sardinia and Sicily will be Simone Sedilesu, founder and winemaker at Cantina VikeVike in Barbagia, Sardinia, where he produces natural wines intrinsically linked to the territory, and Andrea Foti, winemaker at I Vigneri. This winery is situated on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily and is based on traditional Etna viticultural practices and natural winemaking. Bernat Voraviu, founder of Ithaca Wines (Barcelona) and one of the most respected voices in contemporary Spanish wine, will also join the discussion. He is a great connoisseur of wines with a Mediterranean soul.

Also joining the list of notable figures at the 2026 Island Wines Summit are wine journalist Jamie Goodie and harmony creator François Chartier. Goodie, who holds a PhD in plant biology and founded wineanorak.com, will discuss what makes a wine exceptional, focusing on minerality — a defining characteristic of island wines. The Barcelona-based Canadian François Chartier (Chartier World Lab) will address the quality of being—or not being—mineral, unpacking the scientific myth surrounding this aspect from a sensory perspective.

The concept of insularity as a cultural identity, which defines all the wines to be featured at the Island Wines Summit, will be discussed at this international event during a round-table debate. Participants will include Tenerife winegrower Borja Pérez, Portuguese oenologist António Maçanita, sommelier Rodrigo González from Kensei in Tenerife, and Master of Wine Fernando Mora. Mora also leads an interesting wine tour of Tenerife, offering an insight into the origins of the island's wines.

‘Guardian of Tenerife Wine’

The first Island Wines Summit will also see the selection of an international ambassador for Tenerife wines, an initiative designed to inspire attendees and showcase the island's wines on the global stage.
 
The ‘Guardian of Tenerife Wine’ award will honour a sommelier capable of representing the richness and uniqueness of Tenerife’s wines to the world. A jury comprising leading international sommeliers, Tenerife Island Council experts, island wine experts, Tenerife winegrowers and producers will select the award winner, whose name will be announced on the second day of the summit.