Bendito Destino
SPAIN

In the high plateaus of Ribera del Duero, where bold, powerful Tempranillo-based reds have long defined the landscape, Bendito Destino stands apart. Founded by an accomplished sommelier named Terry Kandylis, the project revives ancient, often abandoned vineyards to produce wines with a remarkable difference. Critics have praised this contemporary style —drawing on Burgundian-inspired techniques — for yielding wines of “textural harmony and weight of fruit with a wonderful sense of vitality” (as noted by Keeling Andrew), rather than the region's more traditional ripe, oak-heavy power.

Situated in the village of Canalejas de Peñafiel at 925 metres (the highest elevation in the province), Bendito Destino takes its name from the Spanish phrase meaning “Blessed Destiny”. This name reflects Terry’s sense of good fortune in discovering and reviving these historic vineyard sites. Working with just a few hectares of mostly centenarian, dry-farmed old vines, Bendito Destino produces tiny-lot wines that combine old-vine depth and concentration with striking freshness, minerality, and elegance.

History and Background

Terry Kandylis’s journey into winemaking is rooted in his appreciation for wine, honed first as an award-winning sommelier. Born and raised on the Greek island of Evia, amid family olive groves and homemade wine, he went on to build an impressive career in hospitality. He was crowned Greece’s Sommelier of the Year in 2015 and the United Kingdom’s champion in 2016, with senior roles at renowned establishments including The Fat Duck, The Ledbury, and 67 Pall Mall, later serving as wine director for prestigious groups and now as group sommelier at Noble Rot in London.

His path took an unexpected turn during the 2020 pandemic. With travel plans disrupted, he found himself exploring en route to the Canary Islands. It was there that he discovered the high plateaus of Ribera del Duero and encountered extraordinary century-old, often abandoned bush-trained vines with untapped potential. Guided by Secundino, the village’s eldest vigneron, born in 1932, he began acquiring and carefully restoring these historic plots in Canalejas de Peñafiel.

What began as a modest discovery soon grew into a deeply passionate project. He started Bendito Destino with roughly four hectares of mostly centenarian, dry-farmed old vines, and has carefully expanded while staying true to their character through meticulous, low-intervention winemaking. Drawing on his background as group head sommelier at Noble Rot in London, where he currently continues to oversee the wine programme, Terry brings a unique insider’s perspective to every choice in the vineyard and cellar by blending sommelier precision with a genuine love for the land.

“Reminding many of the wines of Coche-Dury.”

by Charles Curtis MW, Decanter on the 00 Wines Chardonnays

Vineyard and Terroir

The heart of Bendito Destino lies in its carefully selected, scattered parcels surrounding the high village of Canalejas de Peñafiel. Those ancient bush-trained (“en vaso”) vines, with many planted before 1940, yield particularly low volumes of concentrated yet fresh fruit. The plantings are dominated by Tempranillo and Garnacha, with meaningful contributions from Albillo Mayor and smaller amounts of Bobal, Monastrell, Jaen Blanco (Pirulés), and Malvasia Riojana (Alarije). Most parcels are field blends, where reds and whites grow and are harvested together, adding natural complexity and freshness.

The continental climate brings intense daytime heat balanced by very cool nights, preserving a striking natural acidity alongside ripe tannins and deep fruit intensity. This pronounced acidity —often described in reviews as tangy, lively, fresh, or with a tart edge — is what truly sets Bendito Destino apart from the region’s more traditionally heavier, riper style. Soils range from sandy clay in plots like Fuentecebolla and La Cabaña to pure limestone in Los Prados, while varied exposures from north, northeast, and east create distinct microclimates that add layers of complexity and freshness.

Farming is strictly organic and biodynamic, with a strong emphasis on biodiversity, soil vitality, and minimal intervention to allow each parcel to express its unique character authentically. Standout single-vineyard sites include:

• Fuentecebolla (1920): Northeast-facing valley; predominantly Tempranillo with Garnacha and whites on sandy-clay soils
• El Olmar (1920s–1930s): Four east-facing parcels blending Tempranillo, Garnacha, Valenciano, and Albillo
• La Cabaña: The rocky, northeast-oriented original inspiration plot
• Piedra Mediana (1908): Pure Garnacha at 910 metres, with small clusters and bracing acidity
• Los Prados: Limestone-driven Albillo

Each lends its own unmistakable personality, producing wines of remarkable individuality and terroir-driven finesse.

Winemaking Philosophy

Terry approaches the cellar with the measured restraint and acute sensitivity of a sommelier who has spent years evaluating the world's most refined wines. Harvests happen at night to preserve freshness, followed by careful hand-destemming, gentle foot-treading and minimal punch-downs for colour and flavour extraction.

 Fermentations proceed exclusively with native yeasts in a thoughtful mix of concrete tanks for their neutral purity, François Frères barrels for subtle influence, and occasionally amphorae, while judicious use of whole clusters (typically 20–40 per cent) to enhance structure and vitality. Whites and claretes see early oxidative handling for texture, while reds emphasise co-fermentation of field blends and élevage in large-format or older oak to avoid overpowering the fruit. The overarching principle remains in respect for the vineyard itself. Light extraction, very limited new wood, and an insistence on balance, immediacy, and site expression yield wines that feel Burgundian in its elegance yet unmistakably rooted in Ribera’s rugged high-altitude terroir.

Signature Wines

The range begins with accessible “village” wines: Albillo Mayor, clarete, and field blend. Each is produced in modest volumes that showcase the estate’s purity and precision. The Albillo Mayor (from selected old plots, including Los Prados) offers bright citrus, pear, and spice. The clarete delivers textured red fruit and minerality. The field blend brings supple cherry and strawberry notes, layered with lively freshness.

The single vineyard cuvées, made in tiny quantities of a few hundred bottles, reveal greater depth and site character. Fuentecebolla emphasises raspberry and sour cherry finesse; El Olmar layers complexity across multiple plots; La Cabaña stands out for its floral elegance and stony minerality; Piedra Mediana highlights pure Garnacha vibrancy with exceptional depth and terroir character.

Overall, these wines consistently demonstrate harmony between fruit weight, texture, and bright acidity, marking Bendito Destino as one of Spain’s most exciting emerging fine-wine stories.

Recognition and Impact

Though still young, Bendito Destino has quickly earned praise from critics, sommeliers, and importers worldwide for its fresh departure from Ribera del Duero's traditional power. Jamie Goode, in particular, has awarded incredible scores across the range — such as 95/100 for the 2021 Fuentecebolla ("So supple, textural and open with fresh red cherries and raspberries. Nice acidity and texture, and a sour cherry finish. This has beautiful finesse") — highlighting their wines’ consistent refinement, vibrant acidity, and excellent ageing potential.

Beyond the praise, the project contributes meaningfully to the heritage of the region by rescuing and rehabilitating old vines at a time when many have been lost to replanting or abandonment.

For collectors seeking elegance over extraction, Bendito Destino stands out as a modern, refreshing voice in Ribera del Duero. Acclaimed sommelier Terry Kandylis’s project revives ancient centenarian vines with Burgundian-inspired restraint, preserving purity and site expression rather than imposing power. These wines are delicious because they deliver pure, joyful balance through bright energy, vibrant acidity, and that authentic expression of terroir that adds real depth and drinkability to every sip. If you are curious about where Ribera del Duero is evolving toward greater elegance and contemporary finesse, Bendito Destino is one of the most exciting discoveries worth trying right now.

2017 Clos des Papes • Chateauneuf du Pape

He blends grapes from his different plots to co-ferment in large vats, after which he then re-blends in to large 20-55 hectoliter wooden foudres (casks) to mature for 15 months. New or small barrels are never used, “I like the oak to make an indirect impact – I only want tannins from the grape skins not even the pips and certainly not the stalks” says Avril. And though it may not be widely known, this domaine has been buying corks from the same producer in Portugal ever since 1926!

The wines are no doubt enticing, garnering great praise from many publications and critics such as Wine Spectator who awarded their 2005 vintage as “Wine of the Year”, stating that “in the Southern Rhône's recent trio of great vintages starting with 2003, no other Châteauneuf-du-Pape domaine has produced better wines than Clos des Papes”. But the accolades don’t stop there, as Robert Parker followed on to pronounce the 2007 vintage “the greatest Chateauneuf du Pape made since 1978 and 1990”.

We at Ginsberg+Chan are extremely proud to be the exclusive distributors of Clos des Papes, and with good volumes of both red and white back vintages too, we can ensure you a wide range of drinking windows for your cellar.

Available Wines From Bendito Destino