Lanzarote (DO)
Lanzarote is a Spanish wine region (→ Viticulture in Spain) in the Canary Islands in the province of Las Palmas.
The Denomination of Origin (DO ) is spread over the entire island of Lanzarote. The status of a D.O. ( Origin) was the area in 1993. It includes vineyards in the municipalities of Haria, San Bartolomé, Teguise, Tinajo and Yaiza.
The wine region of Lanzarote was divided into four sub-zones:
- La Geria, the largest of the sub-zones located in the southern part of the island
- San Bartolomé / Tias, centrally located
- Tinajo, located west
- Haria - Ye, in the north of the island
The most important varieties are the red Listán Negro and Negramoll. White wines are made from Listán Blanco, Malvasia de Sitges, Yellow Muscat ( Moscatel ) and Diego.
The area under vines is 2,310 hectares.
Geology
Lanzarote is an island of volcanic origin. Before around 36 million years repeated undersea volcanic eruptions began to form the base of the island. These eruptions caused by continental drift and hotspot volcanism. Prior to 15.5 million years Lanzarote has grown over the sea beyond.
1730 came to Lanzarote in severe volcanic eruptions. On September 1, formed over a distance of 18 kilometers, 32 new volcanoes. The outbreaks lasted a total of 2053 days and ended in 1736. At the end of the lava had buried about a quarter of the island's land area among themselves, among the most fertile soils of the island and several villages and farmsteads. Instead, at this point created new volcanoes, the name Montañas del Fuego ( Fire Mountains ) were given and now make up the Timanfaya National Park.
The wine -growing region of La Geria is a nature reserve and for its traditional method of cultivation on lapilli known ( Spanish: enarenado natural). The vines grow every man for himself in small, protected by walls single craters. The wine growers dig up to 3 meters deep holes and planting the vines into it. So the meter- thick dark lapilli is ( volcanic ash, also called picón ) unusable since it heats up during the day and at night absorbs moisture from the air. Because it only very rarely rains, the water is stored. The roots of cultivated plants and vines can thus penetrate into the underlying soil, which is to still protected from erosion. The walls protect the wells from the northeast trade winds and drying. In the subzone La Geria there in the place Masdache (near San Bartolomé ) the Bodega El Grifo, founded in 1775 with its own wine museum ( position → 29.001682-13.64514 ). It is the oldest winery in the Canary Islands and one of the ten oldest in Spain.
The grapes are harvested by hand, since it is not possible due to the arrangement of the vines to work mechanically.
Climate
Lanzarote is located in the trade zone, which leads to blow on the island year-round fresh winds from the north to northeast. Lanzarote has a year-round mild and low rainfall, arid climate, as the trade winds on the island relatively flat usually does not rain down. The air temperature is in the annual average of 20.5 ° C. The monthly average is 24.7 ° C in August and 16.9 ° C in January The water temperature of the Atlantic Ocean varies by the swelling of cold deep water off the north- west African coast and the Canary Current between 22 ° C in summer and 17 ° C in winter. This makes bearable in connection with the trade winds, the partly high summer temperatures.
Rainfall
With only 112 millimeters of rainfall per year Lanzarote is the driest in the Canary Islands, but those fall about 85 percent from January to March. The relative humidity of 70 percent on the average. In the mountainous north to year are considerably more rainfall than the south with up to 300 millimeters. There, the northeastern trade winds coming from the Atlantic to the Famara massif can meet with the highest point of 671 m, which thus lies in the lowest part of the condensation zone. The trade winds pile up under strong circulation and are forced to rise. The moist Atlantic air cools during ascent by 1 K (1 ° C ) per hundred meters. It do clouds, or fog. The moisture from the clouds enough to operate in this field agriculture in the form of dry farming.
Varieties
Some of the recommended varieties
- Red varieties: no
- White varieties: Malvasia de Sitges
Are permitted beyond
- Red varieties: Listán Negro, Negramoll
- White varieties: Burrablanco, Breval, Diego, Listán Blanco, Moscatel, Pedro Jiménez