JULY’S MIRACLE

If you want to understand the miracle of Lanzarote wine, first head to Timanfaya. That’s where you’ll get an idea of the immensity of the eruptions that created this violent yet beautiful landscape. It’s a beautiful but harsh, hostile environment where you’ll see very little life.

Then head to La Geria, where rolling hills of black volcanic ash are covered in thousands of horseshoe-shaped walls, like the scales of a fish. Each wall protects a pit; and each pit contains a small woody vine that could easily be older than you.

And this month, you can see the miracle happening under each of those vines – a heavy pile of luscious golden grapes. It seems amazing that such a small plant could produce such bounty, but there it is, in the bottom of each pit, in front of your eyes.

These grapes are just the start of the miracle, though. They’ll be picked, washed, pressed and the juice fermented, resulting in millions of bottles of wine. Some of this wine will find its way half-way round the world; much more will stay right here on Lanzarote.

On Lanzarote, wine is for everybody. It’s the fuel for many of the fiestas that will take place all over the island this summer – fiestas that are likely to be even more joyous after two years of suspension; it’s the eternal accompaniment to those long, lazy meals that are so important to life on the island, and it’s a simple way of life for several hundred farmers and winemakers here.

This month we raise a glass to Lanzarote wine, an industry that is becoming more exciting and innovative every year, and which is also becoming more and more important to tourism, as thousands of visitors decide to learn more about this unique miracle for themselves.

Cheers, and salud!