Lanzarote volcanic soil © Patronato de Turismo de Lanzarote

Farmer in the countryside © Patronato de Turismo de Lanzarote

WINES OF THE CANARY ISLANDS

About the author: Gerry Dawes is a New York-based writer and photographer who specializes in Spain. He has published numerous articles on Spanish wine and food and lectures frequently in the U.S. and in Spain on Spanish wine and gastronomy. In 2003, he won the prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (Spanish National Gastronomy Prize).

Gazpacho de mango by chef José Rojano © Gerry Dawes

By Gerry Dawes Güimar, Valle de la Orotava and the somewhat daunt-
The Canary Islands are home to the most amazing ing Ycoden-Daute-Isora. The latter produces some of the
vineyards I have ever seen. After 40 years of visiting best wines of the Canary Islands. There is a move afoot
many of the world's most beautiful and inspiring wine to consolidate the Tenerife D.O.s into one, but these
regions, I thought I had seen it all. Then in May, as I micro-climate-based D.O.s, however confusing, can be
traveled in the Canary Islands, I saw vines clinging quite different. Monte Lentiscal, until recently its own
precariously to lava-strewn slopes, surviving in barren D.O. on Gran Canaria, was absorbed into the bigger
volcanic soils, yet producing strikingly good wines Gran Canaría denomination.
despite the daunting conditions. Words like “amaz- I visited the four most important wine-making islands
ing,” “awesome” and “incredible” somehow seem — Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma and Gran Canaria
inadequate to describe what must be seen with one’s — and found wines of distinction on them all. Lanzarote
own eyes—especially the vineyards on the island of is a fascinating place with 250 inactive and not-so-inac-
Lanzarote, where vines thrive without any irrigation in tive volcanoes. It is a dry, subtropical island 70 miles off
small man-made craters that seem to imitate the larger the coast of Africa. The vines, primarily Malvasía and
volcanic craters that proliferate on this island. These Listán Blanco for white and semi-sweet to sweet wines,
hyperbolic words would only be of value in describing and Listán Negro and Negramoll for reds, essentially
the vineyard landscape if the wines were not good. But grow in holes strewn with ancient volcanic sand, pro-
that is not the case in the Canary Islands, especially tected from strong winds by conical depressions and
when it comes to white wines and sweet wines, which a small quarter circle of volcanic rock wall stacked up
here reach their quality apogee in all of Spain. about a foot high. These structures allow air flow, winds
Sweet wines made from Malvasia (and some with carrying Atlantic Ocean moisture, which then collects in
Moscatel and Sabro) came from the same historical lin- the porous volcanic ash and sand mixture, nourishing
eage that brought fame to the “Malmseys” of Portugal’s the low density vines with life-sustaining water. Rain is
Madeira. In fact, La Palma’s Bodegas Teneguía claims very infrequent here -- only 200 mm per year!
that Malvasia (Malmsey) was planted in 1427 in Lanzarote produces some of the most distinguished
Madeira and from there came to the Canary Islands in wines of the Canary Islands. Bodega Los Bermejos
1676. The Madeira Islands are the next major island produces very good Bermejo Malvasías (dry and semi-
group north of the Canaries and are part of a far-flung dulce), a bright, fresh Listán Negro Rosado and a fine
group that also includes the Portuguese Azores. This Moscatel Naturalmente Dulce sweet wine. El Grifo
string of Atlantic Ocean islands, of which the seven winery, in the area of La Geria, is the oldest in the archi-
main islands of the Canaries—El Hierro, La Palma, La pelago and has long carried the banner for Lanzarote
Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and with some distinctive sweet and semi-dulce Malavasía-
Lanzarote—are a part, are thought by some historians and Moscatel-based wines.
to be the remnants of fabled Atlantis. But the emerging star in Lanzarote is Stratvs, a new,
The Canary Islands have ten D.O.s (denominacio- architecturally stunning winery that is the showcase of
nes de origen) governing the production of their wines. the Canary Islands, boasting one of the most striking
Several of the islands—Gran Canaria, El Hierro, La and advanced designs of all Spanish bodegas. At
Gomera, La Palma and Lanzarote—have just one Stratvs, the winemaker, Alberto González, is also the
eponymous D.O., but Tenerife has five, which can be director of the winery and the man who designed much
very confusing since some of them carry more than one of the innovative winemaking equipment. The juxtaposi-
name. They are Abona, Tacoronte-Acentejo, Valle de tion of this state-of-the-art winery and the original pre-