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Volcanic vines & fine wines

Poets and playwrights have been singing the praises of the wines of the Canary Islands for centuries. Keats, in his Lines on the Mermaid Tavern, asked, “Have ye tippled drink more fine/Than mine host’s Canary wine,” and William Shakespeare – who, as one of the Lord Chamberlain’s men, is likely to have been partly paid in Canary wine – often made mention of the “marvellous searching wine” that “perfumes the blood”.

The Spanish planted the first vines in the Canaries more than 500 years ago and, in spite of changes in fashion and volcanic eruptions, the winemakers of Lanzarote, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma are still thriving. A tour of the vineyards and wineries should be on every traveller’s itinerary, whether they’re looking for impressive scenery or a treat for their tastebuds and just a dash of history.

 

VOLCANIC VINEYARDS

Of all the wine-growing regions in the Canary Islands, none is quite as otherworldly as the valley of La Geria on Lanzarote. This roughly 20-square-mile area lying in the shadow of the bleak volcanic Fire Mountains is worth seeing even if you have no particular interest in wine. During the island’s most recent eruptions in the 18th century, tons of tiny, black volcanic pebbles called picón spewed out along with the lava, smothering everything – including the vineyards – in their path. However, these turned out to be an unexpected asset thanks to their ability to soak up the dew from the night air and release it during the day, perfect on such an arid island.

As a result, there are thriving vineyards where there might have been only acres of twisted, shattered rock – but they’re like none you’ve ever seen before. Each vine is planted in its own small black crater filled with soil and topped with picón, with a low, equally black C-shaped wall called a zoco to protect it from the wind. As the vineyards stretch away from the winding scratch of a road, all matt black with ordered splashes of shiny green, it looks as if hundreds of horseshoes have been thrown across the stony fields. It’s an extraordinary and hauntingly beautiful sight.

For those who know their grapes, most of those grown here – around three-quarters – are Malvasía, one of the oldest known varieties and originally hailing from Greece, with the remainder made up of mainly Muscatel, Diego and Pedro Ximenez. It was the Malvasía that was responsible for Malmsey, the favourite silky sweet tipple of Shakespeare’s Falstaff, although these days the same grape is used to produce a range of wines – crisp, dry, honeyed, from white to red and even sparkling.

The best place to sample and buy the local wines is in the bodegas, or wine shops, that line the narrow road through the middle of La Geria. Of these, the longest running is the El Grifo winery in Masdache, which dates back to 1775 (though vines have been grown on Lanzarote for around 500 years) and is home to a fascinating little museum. However, it’s worth visiting several, if you can, to experience for yourself the sheer variety of the local wines. If you’re worried about getting tipsy, at most you can order a plate of cured ham or cheese to soak up the alcohol.

 

ONLY THE FINEST

Tenerife is famed for its wines, too; in fact, it accounts for the majority of the Canary Islands’ output. The best place to become an instant expert on the subject is at Casa del Vino La Baranda in El Sauzal, in the scenic north of the island. This traditional country estate is home to an information-packed museum devoted to local wine and its production, where you can learn about everything from how viticulture first came to the islands to how modern techniques are revolutionising wine production. And if that whets your appetite, there’s also a tasting room and bar where you can sample produce from many of the local wineries before putting in your order at the shop for some to take home.

The Casa del Vino La Baranda is surrounded by the vineyards of Tacoronte-Acentejo, one of Tenerife’s five wine-growing districts (along with Valle de la Orotava, Valle de Güímar, Ycoden-Daute-Isora and Abona). The red wines produced here from the Listan grape were the first in the Canary Islands to be awarded the coveted ‘denominacion de origen’ (DO), given only to the highest quality wines from a particular district, and they continue to be highly regarded. A tour of the vineyards is a must, especially if someone else is driving! It’s much more than an excuse to get slightly lightheaded; the scenery is glorious, especially on clear days when the towering peak of Mount Teide makes a suitably dramatic backdrop to the rolling hills draped with serried rows of vines.

On the opposite side of the island, on the south coast, you’ll find the Abona wine district. Here the place to go is Tierra de Frontos winery, where you can steep yourself in everything to do with viticulture. Check out the wonderful old wine press, rather a contrast to the shiny modern production area, but be sure not to miss having a taste of some of the award-winning wines.

 

THE PERFECT DROP

‘The Pretty Island’ of La Palma, named a UNESCO biosphere reserve for its variety of unspoiled natural landscapes, is home to an equally wide range of vines, many of them extremely rare. The first were planted in the early 16th century by the Spanish, and it wasn’t long before traders and colonists were shipping back to Europe that sweetest of wines, Malmsey, as well as rum. Five centuries later, two types of Malvasía are still produced here: sweet Malvasía dulce, made from grapes grown in Los Llanos Negros (on the south coast), and dry Malvasía blanco seco.

However, thanks to the vineyards’ widely differing altitudes, soils, rainfalls and so on, each favouring different grape varieties, La Palma’s wines offer something for every taste. The best way to find your own perfect bottle is on the Wine Route, which includes 16 wineries to visit. It’s actually a bit of a misnomer: there are five wine routes, each with a different theme.

‘The Wine Heritage’, for instance, takes in the picturesque capital Santa Cruz de la Palma, two bodegas and the vineyards at El Taboco, where the vines are trailed along low wooden frames (parrales). ‘Volcanoes and Malmsey’ focuses on vineyards in the stark, picón-covered south: Las Indias, Los Llanos Negros and Las Machuqueras, the last two alarmingly close to active volcanoes.

A route around the north and northwest pays tribute to ‘The Stars and Vino de Tea’. These wines are characteristic of La Palma, getting their name from the fact that they are matured in barrels made of ‘tea’, a type of Canarian pine. In this rugged landscape, the vines are grown on terraces carved out of the steep hillsides, which makes an impressive sight. In spite of the difficulties of growing vines here, there are plenty of bodegas and several vineyards – Jeronimo at Hoya Grande, La Traviesa, Briesta and Bellido – where you can explore, sample and buy.

 

STELLAR CELLARS

Gran Canaria is often described as a continent in miniature, thanks to its diverse landscapes and microclimates, but the holidaymakers who flock to its hot and sunny south coast beaches would be surprised to learn the island has 61 vineyards, mainly in the northeast, which produce 100,000 litres of wine annually from mainly Negramoll, Tintilla, black Moscatel, Malvasía and Listan grapes. It, too, has a long history of viticulture; one 16th-century English settler wrote glowingly of its “singular good wine”. Learn all about it at the new Wine Museum, housed in a historic and beautifully restored old building in the heart of the wine area in Santa Brígida, where you can also taste wines from all the island’s producers.

Otherwise, the most enjoyable way to discover more about Gran Canaria’s wines, most famously the Tinto del Monte (Mountain Red), is to visit the island’s cellars. Some have their own museums and virtually every cellar has tasting facilities, where you can buy the local wines directly and sometimes sample other local produce.

If you want to combine sightseeing with tasting on your holiday cruises, the road to the impressive Caldera de Bandama, a long-extinct volcano with its crater floor covered in vines, has several bodegas along it. Don’t get too side-tracked by wine, though; there are stunning views of the north and east coast and out towards the mountainous centre in the west from the viewpoint at the Caldera itself.

Wherever you find your favourite wines – Lanzarote, La Palma, Tenerife or Gran Canaria – they’ll provide a potent reminder of your cruise travel, just the thing to lift the post-holiday blues. After all, as Shakespeare wrote in Othello, “good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used”.

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