Holidays are about indulging in what you wish you could do at home but daren’t. That’s my excuse for enjoying a second glass of wine by noon, soon to be followed by a third.
And, despite only taking small sips — this is a wine-tasting tour, and pacing oneself is imperative — I’m a little tipsy.
My light-headedness may be as much about the view than the vino. This is Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. While all volcanic islands are common, this one is unique.
Pictured is Lanzarote’s Papagayo beach. It is just a short drive away from the vineyards at La Geria.
Three centuries ago, a six-year-long eruption blanketed the entire area with thick black ash. It created an alien, desolate landscape that looked like a charcoal Sahara. The miracle of the ash was the birth of the grape. And these grapes make wines so unique that they’re creating a buzz.
‘The ash is the magic,’ explains tour guide Ollie. ‘Without it there would be no grapes or viticulture. It gives the wine a distinctive flavour you won’t find anywhere else in the world.’
The vineyards in Lanzarote’s wine-making region, La Geria, are unlike anywhere else in the world. Each vine is grown inside a sunken pit that is protected by a low crescent-shaped wall. The Montanas del Fuego (Fire Mountains), towering volcano cones, can be seen in the distance.
So far, I’ve tried rosé and a red —both light-bodied, chilled and perfectly suited to the warm, dry climate. Lanzarote is known for its Malvasia white wine. Ollie hands me a glass.
‘You can taste the island’s salty breeze and the soil’s minerals in it,’ he says. I sip, then reflect. The wine is crisp, dry, and delicious, so you can taste the breeze. More please.
Lanzarote, which measures 37 miles from the top to the bottom, is the fourth largest and easterliest of the Canaries.
Refreshing: Jo on her wine-tour. ‘The vineyards in Lanzarote’s wine-making region, La Geria, are unlike anywhere else in the world,’ she says
Pictured is a La Geria vineyard built on Lanzaote’s black volcanic soil. Jo said about the wine-making area: “Out of the ash grew the miracle: the grape.”
It is home to 150,000 people, nearly 2,000 of which are registered viticulturists. They produce around three million bottles per year.
The island is Spanish, of course, but as it’s dominated by volcanic scenery it feels nothing like Spain.
My base is the south-eastern seaside resort of Puerto del Carmen, in the Hotel Fariones, which reopened last September after a £25 million refurbishment.
The result is a visual triumph with its luxurious hammock-chairs, infinity pool with palm-fringed water (which has become an Instagram hit), and its botanical gardens that lead to a surprising golden beach for a volcanic island.
All rooms have a view of the sea. Later, I can sit on my balcony and see the sun sink towards the Atlantic from my balcony. The treetops are home to green parrots singing, and it feels more like Europe than the tropics. It’s balmy enough for dinner on the hotel restaurant’s outdoor terrace year-round. The hotel company owns its farm, and every bite reflects the quality of its artisanship.
Lanzarote is whitewashed, and its residents take pride in their gardens and homes. It’s also conspicuously low-rise and, on a tour of the island the next day, guide Eva tells me that this is thanks to famed local artist Cesar Manrique.
Jo’s base was in Lanzarote, in the south-eastern seaside resort Puerto del Carmen (pictured above).
Timanfaya National Park (pictured) is home of the volcanic Fire Mountains. It’s also a geothermal hotspot.
‘He wanted to preserve his homeland’s beauty so much that he spearheaded a decree which prohibits the construction of high-rises.’ Manrique has made Lanzarote a mecca for culture vultures as well as beach and wine lovers. Eva takes me to some his masterpieces.
His cactus gardens were his first stop. Manrique created an amphitheatre-like terrace from a disused quarry and planted cacti of all shapes, sizes and shades. The result is nature’s answer to the Tate Modern.
His mystical Jameos del Agua watergrotto, which was created from a section of a four-mile long volcanic lava tube, is another example of his tour de force. This is the only location in the world that is inhabited by blind white crabs, and it is also the ocean floor.
Famed local artist Cesar Manrique’s cactus garden is planted with cacti of every shape, shade and size
Pictured is the Jameos del Agua water grotto, which was created from the collapsed section of a four-mile-long volcanic lava tube
But the island’s hottest attraction is the immersive visitor experience Manrique helped design in the island’s Timanfaya National Park.
The park is home of the volcanic Fire Mountains. It’s also a geothermal hotspot with temperatures up to 610c.
Thunderous geysers send water and steam up through the earth’s surface and, if you’re brave enough, the park warden will scoop soil from the ground onto your bare palm. The soil is getting too hot to handle so I run around like a mad cartoon character, before finally getting it off my hands.
Far safer is the park restaurant’s signature dish: chicken barbecued over geothermal heat, its skin crisped to perfection.
Back at the hotel £5 buys me one last, large, delicious glass of Malvasia. In the spirit of wrapping up the story, I order another.