Is this the world’s most improbable wine region?

Lanzarote has been described as the ‘Island of a Thousand Volcanoes’ and ‘Land of the Eternal Spring’. It is the easternmost of the seven main Canary Islands, a mere 80 miles from the Sahara, and particularly exposed to Saharan dust storms (calima).

At 845 square kilometres, Lanzarote is half the size of Tenerife, with far fewer inhabitants (160k vs 1m). Unlike Tenerife, it has no high mountain to capture the northeast trade winds (Alisios), which is why it is so much drier—so dry that there are no lakes or rivers. Annual rainfall is around 150mm, often less. Until the 1960s, dromedaries (originally towed from Africa) were used in the vineyard. Eamonn and Laura of Cohombrillo have a mango tree which is stunted like a bonzai; while digging, they discovered its roots more than 100m away. Despite the southerly latitude (29 ° N) and proximity to the Sahara, temperatures are relatively cool, brought down by the Alisios and the Canary Current, which is the descending limb of the Gulf Stream/North Atlantic Gyre.

Volcanic eruptions in the 1730s covered a quarter of the island, including the best arable land, in lava, and coated the rest in black ash and sand (picón). Desperate farmers dug into the picón in search of fertile soil, creating the island’s pockmarked lunar landscape. But now only the vine could survive without irrigation—and not only survive but thrive.

Vines are planted in the ‘old soil’ at the bottom of a conical pit. These hoyos vary in size according to the terrain: Jable de Tao’s Chupadero vineyard, inside a volcanic cone, includes some that are more than 12m in diameter (pictured). Each hoyo is girded on the northeast aspect by a low wall of interlocking lava stones (zoco). The zoco protects the hoyo from erosion and collapse, and, together with the hoyo, shelters the vine from the Alisios. The hoyo also serves to capture moisture (dew and rain) and funnel it to the vine. Meanwhile, the picón serves as mulch, absorbing and retaining moisture and regulating temperature. This method of dry cultivation, known as enarenado and unique to Lanzarote, is highly labour intensive. All vineyard work, including the maintaining of the hoyos and zocos, must be carried out by hand. Each hoyo has a narrow path, or ‘way in’, to avoid destabilizing the structure.

The predominant grape variety on Lanzarote is Malvasia Volcánica, accounting for over half of production. Other varieties include Listán Blanco, Diego, and Moscatel de Alejandría. Planting densities average 300 vines per hectare (cf. up to 10,000 in Burgundy). Because the volcanic sands protect from phylloxera, the vines are ungrafted, and, often, centenarian. Miguel Morales of Tisalaya has 3ha of mostly Diego, which yield a mere 3000 bottles a year. Harvest takes place in late July, and there can be a lot of vintage variation, particularly in harvest size—with, for example, 2024 being only half the size of 2023.

The island counts around 30 commercial wineries, many very small. Most buy grapes from a much larger number of small growers. The average age of a small grower is around 70, sparking concerns for the future. The typical wine is a dry Malvásia blend. Clarete is a field blend of white and black varieties. The principal black variety is Listán Negro, although Lanzarote reds struggle to match the best of Tenerife.

Favourite producers include Jable de Tao, Cohombrillo, David Fernandez, Tisalaya, and Titerok-Akaet. El Grifo is the oldest winery in the Canaries and one of the oldest in Spain. When I visited El Grifo, two wines stood out: the only winter harvest wine in the Northern hemisphere, and a historical Canary wine from the legendary 1881 vintage!

Lanzarote wines may appear to be expensive, but are in fact very cheap—especially with such a story. They are never poor, and some of the whites are among the best in the world.

Neel Burton is author of The Concise Guide to Wine and Blind Tasting.