Wine Tours in Tenerife
There are lots of things to love about wine tours in Tenerife, original, ungrafted vines, native and unusual grapes, traditional, “old-school” vineyard practices, and of course superb wine. The volcanic Canary Islands are home to some of Europe’s oldest vines as they managed to escape the ravages of Phylloxera due to the isolation of the archipelago. Today’s vines are truly indigenous and remain ungrafted.
A number of wineries, for example, the excellent Suertes del Marqués, grow indigenous grapes, often on the slopes of the highest mountain in Spain, Mount Teide, and are very often completely organically farmed. The list of grapes that will be new to most of us is a long one; Marmajuelo, Gual, Vijariego Blanco, Malvasía Afrutado, Negramoll, Tintilla, Baboso Negro, and Listan to name just a few.
You can see a couple of unusual training systems in the photos on this page, which provides another very interesting aspect for wine enthusiasts to enjoy on our wine tours in Tenerife. Our extensive exploration of wineries here will mainly be enjoyed via visits to smaller, family-run places where the owner or winemaker will take us around and conduct tastings. Our expert local guides know which parts of the island, and which wineries to show you to get the best out of your days traveling with us.
Where will you stay?
It is extremely unlikely that you are traveling to the Canary Islands just for wine tasting! What is more likely is that you are going to relax and enjoy the beaches for a few days and you would like to add a few wine tours. The southern part of the island is where most tourists stay, around Arona, Adeje, and Guia de Isora. There are a large number of lodging options at all comfort levels in these areas.
Where are the wineries?
The wineries in Tenerife are scattered all over the island, but there is a denser concentration along the northern shoreline roughly from Tacoronte to Icod de Los Vinos, and especially in the area of Orotava. We have mentioned the more “touristic” area in the south around Arona, Adeje, and Guia de Isora where most people will be staying. There are wineries in the south, in the foothills of the Teide volcano, but they are less close together so combining more than 2 in one day is tricky (although it is possible in the Trevejos area).
On the northern we can visit 3 wineries in one day, having lunch at one of them, but the distance to get there and back has to be factored in. We can talk you through the options and we feel the ideal thing to do is maybe have a night away from your southern base while you explore the north, ensuring you get the most from your trip and that you are not in the vehicle more than you need to be.
OK, this unusual grape transport is in Lanzarote but we tour there also
What will we do?
On all of our wine tours, we try to show you the contrasts between wineries whether that be in history, scale, technology, or geography. Plus we will find unusual aspects of winemaking and viticulture that you will find interesting, and of course, a major factor are the people involved. Wherever we go we try to connect you with owners, winemakers, and agronomists, as these are the people who craft the vineyards and the wine, these are the passionate individuals that can give you the inside track on how and why certain decisions are made. You will hear their stories and spend time benefiting from their knowledge.
Note: The photo above shows Lanzarote as we just love the fact that camels are used for grape transport, you can easily add Lanzarote to your wine tours as we can join any and all destinations together. We have a massive range of destinations as you will see as you browse our website.
A standard day where we are able to visit three wineries will follow a pattern which we think suits most people, more intensive at the start and more relaxed after lunch. Our first winery will include a full tour, this means an in-depth visit to all the areas of the winery that are possible to visit. Usually, we start in the vineyards, obviously what there is to see will depend on the plant’s stage of development, but there is always something to learn. We will then see some of the production areas, the selection tables, crushers, tank rooms, and presses, bottling lines, etc. Then comes the cellar, often the most interesting and attractive part of the tour, plus of course at the end a tasting.
Rare vine training on Tenerife called Cordon Trenzado, or “Braided Arms”
The second winery of a three winery day will be a little briefer in the theory department as we don’t want to repeat the types of areas you have already seen, but in any case, we will always visit the cellar and barrel room. Of course, a tasting will be made, plus lunch. After lunch, we might fit in time for you to stretch your legs, then visit the third winery.
Remember all of this is custom-made and depends on your tastes and what opportunities are open to us that day, maybe a local festival or market will be running and we fit that in. A walk at ancient ruins or along the winding streets of a rural village. Trust us to make your time here in Crete absolutely perfect and customized to your particular tastes and interests.
