There are scores of different wines available on Lanzarote, and it’s always worth picking up an interesting new bottle or two. Here are the best places to do it.
First published July 1st in the Gazette Life magazine.
SUPERMARKETS
Local supermarkets such as SPAR and HiperDino usually stock a fairly limited number of local wines. They’re consistently good, but tend to be the wines which are bottled in larger quantities by the bigger bodegas. If you want to sample smaller bodegas or more limited brands, then it pays to look a little harder.
SPECIALIST SHOPS
There are several smaller boutique-style or gourmet shops that specialise in local products on the island, and their selection of local wines will often be wider and very well-chosen. Miguel Soria Ibéricos in Costa Teguise is one example, with several tempting local bottles.
BODEGAS
Bodegas are quickly learning the benefits of selling their own wines from the premises, and a drive through La Geria will take you past several who have set up shop – some of these are not recognised by the D.O. (Denominación de Origen), which gives you a chance to sample local home-made wines – these may be a little rough round the edges, but they’re an authentic flavour of Lanzarote merry-making. Homemade wines can often be bought at the weekly food market in Teguise and elsewhere, too.
OTHER OUTLETS
Lanzarote wines can also be purchased in the airport departures area, meaning you don’t have to pack them in your hold luggage. The Monumento del Campesino also has a shop offering a wide range of island wines.
It’s always worth asking about local wines at restaurants, too. Several will offer excellent and interesting wines.
OFF ISLAND
Lanzarote wines are being exported more and more every year. 440,000 bottles left the island last year, most destined for Germany and the USA. Oliver Horton of Wine Tours Lanzarote has also brought Lanzarote wines to the British Isles, setting up Wine Shop Lanzarote, an export business which distributes wines in the UK. Oliver has backed his online shop up with virtual wine tours, creating a complete Lanzarote experience for the customer.
2021 WAS A “VERY GOOD” YEAR
Last month, Lanzarote’s Regulating Wine Council announced that last year’s wines reached the standard of “Very Good”. This is the second-highest grading possible, and is decided by a group of wine tasters every year. This is the fourth year running that the wines have received this rating – 2017 was the last time they received the highest grade of Excellent.”
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