The taste of Ibiza – Ojo de Ibiza
Wine lovers from around the world are developing a taste for the unique wines produced by the family-run bodega founded by Dieter Meier. Ojo de Ibiza began as a small passion project in the hills above Benirrás in 2012.
Founded by renowned Swiss creative Dieter Meier and inspired by his love of Ibiza’s terroir, today the brand has evolved into a family-run business that creates four unique, limited production wines each year, all of which are in high demand among Ibiza’s oenophiles.
For many people, it’s difficult to remember a time when Ibiza wasn’t a world-renowned travel destination; a place that attracts creatives, free-thinkers, party people, digital nomads, families and the jet set in equal measures. Just a little over half a century ago however, the island was just a little dot in the Med, comprised of rural farmland and rugged coastline populated by hard-working families carrying on the traditions of their ancestors. Winemaking was one such custom, thanks to the island’s rich terroir, yet by the early 2000s, many island vineyards were abandoned as the younger Ibicencan generations opted to pursue different lifestyles. Ojo de Ibiza, the locally produced, organic wine label founded by Dieter Meier, brings this fading tradition back into the spotlight, as he and his family revive the art of island winemaking, one drop at a time.
The certified organic wine brand garnered attention from the island’s oenophiles with its first batch of premium red wine, Terrazas del Norte. Lovingly grown and tended to on a beautiful vineyard high in the hills of Can Tixedo, overlooking the sea at Benirrás, the exceptional vino tinto is a full-bodied blend of Cabernet, Monastrell and Syrah – and is the most beloved flavour profile in the range. Tierra Sur, the brand’s second launch, is a slightly lighter and well-balanced red wine boasting hints of black forest berries in its mix of Syrah and Monastrell – ideal for the Ibiza climate.
Blanco – as the name suggests – is an ultra-clear, light and crisp white wine derived from the classic, heat-resistant southern Mediterranean grape Malvasia. Unlike other vino blancos, there is very little sugar content and it has a slightly tropical nose, combined with a fresh, textured acidity that makes it perfect to pair with sushi. Finally, the brand’s pastel, elegant Rosé – with a hint of rosehip and strawberry, made from delicate Monastrell and Syrah grapes that deliver purity and structured tannins – tastes like Ibiza summer in a glass.
Ojo de Ibiza began as a small passion project in the hills above Benirrás in 2012, founded by renowned Swiss creative Dieter Meier, and has evolved into a family-run business that creates four limited production wines per year.
If you’re not already familiar with the Meier family’s Argentinean bodega, Ojo de Agua, and their organic, high-quality wines produced under the Puro label, perhaps (if you’re of a certain generation) you may remember the Swiss creative from the electropop hit Oh Yeah with his band Yello in 1995. While Meier was climbing the pop charts – this is after he’d studied law, had a career as a professional poker player, writer, filmmaker and much more – and raising a young family, Ibiza was simultaneously becoming a popular tourist destination. At around the same time, the Ibicencan owner of an ancient vineyard in the north of the island was starting to step back from his life’s work. It seemed the stars were aligning – but it would still be almost 20 years until Ojo de Ibiza was born.
In the late 90s, Meier’s work had led him to Argentina, where he invested in the famous Ojo de Agua ranch, and acquired numerous vineyards across the country. This wasn’t just a hobby or a whim, but a pivotal moment, as he became fascinated with winemaking and organic agriculture and turned the business into a huge success. Never one to stay still, Meier would divide his time betweenSouth America and Europe, spending considerable time in Ibiza, feeling a strong connection to island’s culture, creative community and abundant landscapes. “I came to Ibiza for the first time when I was just a young girl, around the age of eight,” recalls his daughter Anna Meier, one of Dieter’s four children, all of whom play a role in running the island-based Ojo de Ibiza business today. “I have absolutely wonderful memories of trips with my family. I was always in love with the island, its nature and its people. And now, Ibiza really is my second home. Walking around the vineyards is so beautiful – looking at the baby grapes and watching them grow with my kids… it’s amazing!”
It was ultimately a chance encounter with the granddaughter of (the aforementioned) retired vineyard owner that put Meier on the path to producing wine in Ibiza. At a dinner party in a villa, the now-experienced viniculturist was lamenting the lack of a good local red wine (“the kind of wine I like to drink with my steak”), when one of the staff came over and mentioned to him that her family owned a vineyard, and since her grandfather had grown too old to take care of it, the vines had fallen into disarray. Quick to recognise an opportunity, Meier visited the vineyard (the Can Tixedo land) the following day and realised that although the neglected vines had completely overgrown into trees, the unique combination of the north-facing aspect of the terraced plot and the mineral-rich soil had incredible potential.
By 2012, he and his team had rebuilt the traditional terraces and replanted 8000 vines, which would be ready to harvest by 2015 – winemaking is indeed a game of patience. Under the guidance highly qualified Spanish winemaker Laura García – who masterminded the perfect blend Meier had been dreaming of using organic viticulture techniques – from day one, the vines flourished. After ageing for two years in French oak barrels, then resting in the bottle for an additional year, Ojo de Ibiza was officially launched to the local market. By 2018, the brand was certified organic, and demand for the full-bodied wine was growing faster than the vines could produce grapes. An additional vineyard nearSanta Gertrudis was acquired and 20,000 more vines were planted, leading to the creation of Tierra Sur, a lighter red, aged in barrels for just six months, allowing for a more abundant production flow.
International music promoter and self-confessed wine aficionado, Johannes Goller, joined the company as brand ambassador in its early days, and knew the product was something truly special from his very first sip. In addition to introducing the wines to his extensive list of on-island hospitality, restaurant, nightlife and personal connections, he also began to invite friends and interested buyers to tour the Can Tixedo vineyard and take part in wine tastings at the golden hour just before sunset. Johannes’ knowledge of the brand, the history, the island – he moved here from Germany in 2000 and has experienced firsthand the modern evolution of Ibiza – and the ultra-precise techniques used to create Ojo de Ibiza is second to none (with the exception of Laura of course!), and his re-telling of the serendipitous tale of how the brand came to be born makes one wish they’d been born into the Meier family themselves.
Over time, Anna Meier and her sisters Eleonore and Sophie have also joined the Ojo de Ibiza team, now spearheading their father’s passion project into the future. “We’re all involved in the family wine business in both Ibiza and in Argentina,” says Anna, who also manages the family’s restaurants and fashion company, enSoie, in Zurich. “The product itself is such an inspiration and a dream to work with. It was a very natural dynamic to take over the company, as we’re all creative people with many ideas. We are happy and proud to remain a family business, with transparency and honesty. We really enjoy working together, although at times, our discussion might be louder and more emotional than in other companies!”
Johannes laughs, knowing exactly the dynamic Anna is talking about. “When we suggested creating a rosé to Dieter, he originally just said no,” he recalls. “I remember him saying: ‘We are not making rosé, it’s not wine! It’s fermented juice.’ It took the family quite some time to convince him.” For Johannes, Anna and the Ojo de Ibiza team, the suggestion to add a white and rosé to the brand portfolio seemed like a natural progression, but Dieter needed some convincing. “Our main wine in Argentina is a Malbec, and as a family, we’re used to drinking red wine in the warm weather but here in Ibiza because it’s so hot, we know that people want to drink white and rosé,” Anna adds. “And we also know that visitors to the island want to drink wines from Ibiza.”
In high demand among Ibiza’s oenophiles, Ojo de Ibiza wines are available in the finest island restaurants and can be purchased from the brand’s in-house Bodega in San Mateo, all year round, by appointment.
Ultimately, Dieter came around to the idea and the decision to expand production to four vineyards, across 20 hectares, has put the brand firmly on the island’s gastronomic map. A vineyard in the beautiful valley of San Mateo is where the rosé is grown, while the white is harvested from a very small shoulder of a northern hill just behind the Ojo de Ibiza Bodega. It’s here that each vineyard has dedicated tanks, where grapes – hand-selected and harvested in August by Laura and her team – are hand-poured for the fermentation process, before being transferred to French oak barrels (the very best in the world) for maturation. “Winemaking is absolutely an art,” says Johannes, speaking with reverence of the work Laura does for the brand. “It’s a slow process, and everything here is hand-crafted, with every step of the process – up to the minute – personally monitored for quality. Each variation of Ojo de Ibiza has its own tank to keep it very pure, and to maintain the different characteristics of the grapes and soil from each vineyard.”
Now available in selected restaurants in Ibiza, and distributed in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium, the wines are also available to purchase in the Ojo de Ibiza Bodega, which is open to the public all year round, on Thursdays and Fridays between 10am and 6pm, and on Saturdays between 10am and 2pm. Make a prior appointment to tour the state-of-the-art facility with one of the expert team members and learn about the artisanal winemaking techniques used, before tasting each wine for yourself, but be quick! This year’s white (only 1200 bottles in total) and rosé production (just 7000 bottles) are almost completely sold out, and the two reds have a limited quantity left. For reservations, call +34 680 144 199 or email tasting@ojoibiza.com – just be sure to have a designated driver!
