The Wine Valley of La Geria

Returning from the north coast, we take the same road back as far as the small village of Tinguatón, from where a minor road leads south for about 7 km (4.5 miles) through a mountainous area until it joins the main road LZ30. At this junction, we make a right turn and continue towards the valley of La Geria.

This valley, which has been declared 'Protected Area', is Lanzarote’s main wine-growing region, occupying about 52 sq. km (20 sq. miles) and stretching on both sides of the road from Masdache to Uga and right up to the volcanic slopes. This area produces most of Lanzarote’s excellent wines, of which 75 per cent are made from the Malvasía grape, one of the oldest known grape varieties. Best known as a honey-coloured, very sweet wine with a rich flavour, already praised by Shakespeare hundreds of years ago, today the Malvasía grape produces a wide variety of quality white, red or rosé wines, from very sweet to very dry.

Located on the edge of the badlands and covered with black volcanic ash, the vineyards of La Geria valley look like they have been transplanted here from another planet. The Lanzaroteños found an indigenous way of cultivating vines on this arid and hostile ground. They dug more than 10,000 funnel-shaped hollows into the thick layers of picón, planted the vines, only one vine per hollow, filled them with soil and poured thick layers of picón over it, as the porous volcanic granules ideally retain the night humidity to feed the plants. In order to protect them from the constant winds and drying out, they built low, semicircular walls around them.

This unique cultivation method results in a prosperous wine industry, renowned for excellent wines, which can be sampled and purchased in a number of local winegrowers’ bodegas (wine shops).

With its extensive rows of horseshoe-like shaped walls and despite their extremely functional purpose, the valley of La Geria, which has become quite a popular tourist attraction, has the aspect of another gigantic piece of landscape art, intentionally created by César Manrique.