The Islands of Spain
Spain has two major island groups. One is the Canary
Islands off the coast of Africa and the other, the
Balearic Islands, is smack in the middle of the
Mediterranean. The second archipelago is probably more
famous for the individual islands themselves: Majorca,
Minorca and Ibiza. Both groups have played decisive roles
in Spain’s history, but nowadays they stand out more as
tourist destinations than anything else. And since the
average tourist likes to enjoy a good glass of wine to
accompany his holidays, the locals have done their part to
revive a wine sector which was, up until recently, nearly
on its death bed.
THE CANARY ISLANDS
The Canary Islands actually have eleven different official
wine regions. Considering many people don’t even know that
wine is even made on those islands, the figure nearly
belies all logic. Some, including me, have called for them
to band together under one flag to avoid confusion,
and this just may happen to the five D.O.’s located on the
island of Tenerife, though that hasn’t been confirmed. |
Lanzarote's unique vineyards. Each vine
is set in a pit to maximize the scant
moisture intake and walled for protection
from the wind.
Courtesy of Murdock
Publishing Co. |
Believe it or not, Canary Island wine held a position of
certain prestige centuries ago. As every book on the
subject is quick to point out, Shakespeare himself alluded
to the famed Canary Sack in his play the Merry Wives of
Windsor and the English even opened a consulate on
Tenerife at one point for the sole purpose of supervising
the commercial trade of the wine. The vino was strong and
sweet they way the English liked it and prosperity lasted
until the 19th century before initiating a slow and
continuous decline that has run right up to modern times.
Now a number of the regions have led a resurgence, and
though we are talking about anecdotal numbers on a broader
scale, I am happy to say there is some very fine wine
being produced there. One of the biggest names is D.O.
Lanzarote, whose unique vineyards planted in the middle of
the desert-like surroundings are a tourist attraction for
anyone visiting this volcanic island. Lanzarote stands out
for its white Malvasías. Another serious candidate for
fame is D.O. Tacoronte-Acentejo, locate on the northern
side of the island of Tenerife, which makes unusual reds
with a distinct aroma and flavor made from the local grape
Listán. Three more regions from Tenerife are also
progressing nicely. They are D.O. Valle de Güímar and its
whites made from Listán Blanco, D.O. Valle de Orotava with
promising samples of red, white and rosé, and finally the
D.O. Ycoden-Daute-Isora, one of the oldest regions in the
Canaries producing tasty white wine.
The remainder are not to be ignored, but they rarely find
their way on to the mainland. So, you’ll most likely have
to make the trip over yourself and seek them out yourself.
Emphasis is given to the whites, and for the most part
they are perfectly acceptable and tourist-friendly. These
include: D.O. Abona (white wine), D.O. El Hierro (white
wine), D.O. Gran Canaria (white/sweet wine), D.O. La
Gomera (white wine), D.O. La Palma (white/red wine), D.O.
Monte Lentiscal (white/red/sweet wine). Don’t fret if you’ve
never heard of any of them, most Spaniards haven’t either,
so you’re not alone, but give them a try if you get the
chance.
BALEARIC ISLANDS
As for the Balearic Islands, well more of the same, but
different. In the first sense, we are talking about a
number of rather obscure regions working on a revival. But
that may just be where the similarities end. First of all,
their geographic location means winemaking boasts a much
older tradition in those parts. Also these wines, while
not gobbling up shelf space in wine warehouses around the
world, are making a slow and steady push towards quality,
and in some cases the final product is nothing less than
outstanding. This is particularly true of D.O. Pla i
Llevant which has found the right combination of using
local and foreign grapes to come up with some highly
original wine.
Recommendable are both its red and white
wine. D.O. Binissalem Mallorca has been around longer but
is progressing at a somewhat slower rate. Red wine is its
specialty. Once again, both the offer and quantity are
limited, but nonetheless worth the effort if the occasion
should arise.
Feature written by Brian
Murdock, author of the book "Let's
Open a Bottle". You can
contact Brian at
murflo@eresmas.net. |
