Date of publication 26/08/2019
Wine Tourism The wine tourism boom in the Canary Islands
Flavors and recipes around the wine tourism boom in the Canary Islands, for lovers of good food.
THE MICROCOSMOS OF TENERIFE
The first thing to highlight about the wine scene on the largest island of the archipelago is that it is very heterogeneous. The variety of terrains, climates, and altitudes allows everything from the sweetest white to the fullest-bodied red to be made, but always genuinely and with that indescribable volcanic touch that even the most inexperienced nose and palate can perceive. And that makes them unique. This heterogeneity of terroirs, evidenced by the contrast between sea level and the highest point of Mount Teide (3,718 meters above sea level), means that today there are up to 5 different Denominations of Origin that seek to distinguish each area, each wine, and each climate. Therefore, when choosing a winery visit, various factors must be taken into account, such as proximity to the vacation spot, the landscapes expected depending on its location on the island, the range of wine tourism activities, and also the preference for one type of wine or another. And, although every winery is a world of its own, the different micro-regions can define what to expect from each visit.
The Tacoronte-Acentejo D.O. is the one that has most strongly embraced wine tourism. Located facing the sea, its estates can be seen from the coast and rise up to 1,000 meters in altitude. In the terraces and wineries of this subzone, some of the island's best reds are being produced, granting it considerable fame and making wine tourism find a goldmine based on quality here. An example of this is Bodegas Monje, a legendary winemaking house in Tenerife that showcases its expertise and history through organized tours, where its aged wooden barrel room steals all the flashes. That said, closely following it in the photogeny ranking is its terrace, a perfect place to drink wine, try traditional Canarian dishes, and toast with the great volcano in the background. If you want to live this experience, be sure to check out the hotels in Tenerife that Iberostar has all over the island.
Also located in the southern half of Tenerife, the Abona D.O. shares some landscape traits with Güímar, although tasting reveals whites with more body and more hours of sunshine. In other words, rounder, but also appealing to a more specialized and demanding public. Therefore, the best approach is to delve into its complexity by visiting a winery like Frontos, where they tailor tours to the client and groups in their complete winemaking complex.
If reds reigned in the previous Denomination, in Güímar, a region located in the east of the island, white is the star. And altitude as well, since vines are cultivated up to 1,500 meters above sea level, bordering on the miraculous. A mixture that makes the landscapes a total spectacle, especially when the sea of clouds descends to the wineries or snow settles on their terraces (very occasionally). In this natural show, the Valle de Güímar winery shines, the best prepared for wine tourism in the area thanks to its guided tours that review the wine production process in an entertaining way, topped off with a complete tasting where the sparkling wine surprises. The ever-green Orotava Valley has its own D.O. born from vines growing in the shade of banana trees and dotted with orchards that usually occupy the most fertile hectares. However, the poorest, reddish soil—which looks like it just came out of the crater—is dedicated to the grapes. The most characteristic and surprising element of these vertiginous plots is the braided cordon (cordón trenzado), a system by which the vine shoots are intertwined in order to achieve higher yield in the plantation (they used to share sun and earth with potatoes), although today it has become more a symbol of its specificity than a useful system. With this system, slightly bitter and fruity whites, very red rosés (in flavor and color), and simple reds are cultivated. Most of its wineries are small, which is why they only open for specific events such as tastings and special visits, which does not take away from the fact that driving through the paths and roads that advance between the estates is an almost unique landscape pleasure.
Finally, Ycoden, Daute e Isora brings together the wines of northwestern Tenerife. A prolific area, closely linked to this beverage (in fact, Icod de los Vinos is its unofficial capital) with beautiful landscapes and many contrasts. Here the Listán grape rules, both white and black, cultivated in high overhead arbors (parras) that carpet slopes and hills, making the landscape even more beautiful if possible. However, if the idea is not to choose and to learn a little about all the wine regions of the island, the ideal option is to visit the Casa del Vino. This is an estate adapted to promote the wines of Tenerife, where you can browse its museum, taste in its tasting area, and pair them with ancestral recipes in its restaurant.
THE MIRACLE OF LA GERIA
The headline could be the following: there is green where 200 years ago there was only ash. In fact, the last eruption on the island occurred in 1824, not far from where one of the most surprising wines on the international scene springs forth today, due to its complex and successful combination of acidity and volcanic minerality. This latter concept, though it may seem indecipherable, is the exact word to explain the nuances generated by such an extreme and different terroir that has been successfully tamed and, above all, sublimated. The first contact with La Geria consists of traversing its plots, discovering from its small hills the panorama of terraces where green vines sprout, their roots carving out space in the cones formed in the volcanic lapilli. Here each vine has its small plot, almost always protected by stone trenches that act as walls against the winds that blow relentlessly across Lanzarote. This is why its appearance resembles scaly skin. And no matter how much the retina is warned, through images, of what La Geria offers, the live result is infinitely more surprising.
The landscape appeal and the fantastic wines crafted from Lanzarote’s Malvasía have their best ally in responsible tourism conscious of tradition. Because this island, beyond being a compendium of impossible ecosystems and geological findings, is an example of how visitors can be attracted without betraying its essence. And wine tourism does not stray from this marked line. Therefore, there is no room here for futuristic wineries or barrel rooms with impossible shapes. What prevails here is well-told tradition and, above all, profound respect for the pioneers who made the first wine in these lands.
For this reason, most of its wineries offering wine tourism experiences are small, charming Canarian and peasant redoubts. An example of this is El Grifo, the great benchmark for wine tourism in the D.O., mainly due to its 'exhibitionist' vocation and for having a small museum dedicated to this beverage and its cultivation. Its attraction is completed by the designs that local artist César Manrique devised for the winery's logo and by its cactus garden, where up to 1,000 specimens prove that beauty can sometimes prick a little. Meanwhile, Bodegas Rubicón boasts having one of the best local product shops, in addition to offering tours of its facilities and plots. A proposal similar to that of La Geria, a historic winery where, through a 40-minute tour, one enjoys this strange panorama both from its terrace and at the foot of the vineyard, ending in its main building, which dates back to the 19th century.
If you feel like visiting some of these wineries (or all of them), we invite you to stay in one of the magnificent hotels in Lanzarote that Iberostar has.
