Just Google “where are the Canary Islands” and you would quickly agree with me that it doesn’t seem like a typical wine-producing area. We were surprised to learn about Canary Islands wine as we were planning our trip to Gran Canaria Spain. During our Canary Islands tour, we learned a lot about Gran Canaria wine which was surprising. Particularly when compared to the wine from other Spanish destinations.
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Looking For Local Gran Canaria Wines
In this post, we will help wine travelers learn about Gran Canarian wine and a little about Canary wine in general. We will offer recommendations on a few Canary Islands wine bodegas to visit.
While wine travelers will recognize many common aspects of winemaking at Gran Canarian wineries, wineries in the Canary Islands are just different.
And, we recommend other places to try some of the best wines on the island. If you are looking for lesser-known and off-the-beaten-path wine destinations, this is the one for you.
Traveling to Gran Canaria? Check out our Gran Canaria Food Guide, with tips on where and what to eat in Gran Canaria. Or see our guide to Tenerife Wine.
How To Book Hotels In Spain
Since leaving the US over a decade ago, we’ve traveled to Spain numerous times. We’ve even lived in Spain for over three years. During these trips to Spain, we learned a few things about booking hotels in Spain. We’ve stayed at stunning luxury hotels like the Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville and the W Barcelona. And sadly we have stayed in our fair share of not-so-great hotels in Spain.
When planning our trips to Spain, we use Booking.com for hotels in Spain. In addition to booking hotels, we’ve used them to book apartments in Spain for longer stays. When we’ve wanted something special, we’ve used Booking to find stunning villas in Spain. We’ve even found some charming and less expensive guest houses in Spain on Booking.com.
The Canary Islands Spain and Wine
The Canary Islands are a group of islands owned by Spain, which are actually closer to Africa than to the Spanish mainland. For the past 600 years, the Canary Islands have belonged to Spain. The islands have adapted many traits commonly found on the Iberian peninsula, including the cultivation of wine.
Morocco is the closest point. There are seven islands that form the Canarias, including Tenerife, Lanzarote, and Gran Canaria Spain, among others.
Tenerife and Lanzarote are very popular Spain destinations for northern Europeans, particularly for Brit and Irish travelers. We visited Gran Canaria, though, to taste great Canarian food and to learn about wine.
The Terrain And Terroir Of Gran Canaria
When it comes to wine-making regions in Europe, the Canary Islands have to be one of the most extreme regions. It sits at 28-degree latitude, just about the same level as Miami. Imagine decent wine being grown in South Florida?
Combine this latitude with very rugged and mountainous terrain, volcanoes, winds, and lack of water, and one would be surprised to know that decent (and in fact good) Spanish wines are produced here. One of the reasons why it offers so much for wine tourists is that few people really know about the wines of the region.
Looking for More Information on Travel to The Canary Islands?
Check out this list of the Top Canary Islands Wineries on Gran Canaria
Or, check out our Ultimate Gran Canaria Food Guide – What to Eat in Gran Canaria
Canary Islands Vineyards
When thinking about the Canary Islands and wine, many wine travelers tend to think first and foremost about Lanzarote wine, then Tenerife wine, and perhaps then Gran Canaria wine. While Tenerife produces more wine than any other island, Lanzarote wine is the most popular.
For sure, the Gran Canaria wine production is small, and very few wineries export out of the Canary Islands. There are, however, a few similarities that link all of these wine-producing areas to each other.
All of the wine regions are well known for being volcanic vineyards. That means rough soil and little water.
The Lanzarote vineyards are perhaps some of the most famous because of the unique way they plant the vines and irrigate them, leaving a large cauldron of soil around the base of the vines to help capture what little water there is.
The Gran Canaria vineyards are unique in their own right. One thing I noticed when learning about Gran Canaria is how arid the land is. The soil is extremely dry and volcanic. Not only with wine, but even with other products, like avocados, mangos, and bananas.
Part of me wondered how anything grows on Gran Canaria at all. Much to my surprise, not only do the vineyards grow in this gravely, volcanic soil but the wine has such a unique character due to this Gran Canaria microclimate.
Where to Stay in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
Many people flock to the all-inclusive resorts in Gran Canaria, and once they get there, they kind of stay there. We had a different goal in mind. We wanted to learn all about Gran Canaria food, so we stayed in Las Palmas and took day trips to explore the island.
We recommend the AC Hotel Iberia by Marriott. They have a rooftop pool with a view of the water and are only a five-minute walk to the tapas restaurants and bars in Triana.
They also have parking, making them a great option to explore the city. If you don’t rent a car, they offer a shuttle from the airport too. We’ve been staying at AC Hotel properties all over Spain, and find they are a great mix of contemporary design and value.
Check the best rates at the AC Hotel Iberia Gran Canaria here.
Canary Islands Wine Varietals
Some of the most common grape varieties grown on Gran Canaria include Malvasia, Listan Negro, and Listan Blanco. We are familiar with Malvasia. It is a common Emilia Romagna grape grown predominantly around Parma, Italy.
The version grown in Gran Canaria is different, though. It is less sweet than in Parma, and a lot more crisp, due in part to the effect of the volcanic soil.
Listan Blanco is more commonly known as Palomino elsewhere in Spain. It is the grape used to make sherry in Andalusia, in Jerez, Spain. The Listan Negro is the dark-skinned version of the same Palomino grape.
History Of Wine On The Island
One other interesting note for people who love wine history. There is a history of wine production in the Canary Islands since the 16th century. Because of its island location, the Gran Canary wine regions were never touched by Phylloxera, the awful insect that destroyed the European wine industry in the 1860s.
We know this quite well because of the devastating effect phylloxera had on the Emporda wine region in the Costa Brava, close to where we live in Girona.
This is why the Canary Islands wine regions host some of the oldest vineyards in Europe. But what does all of this mean for the wine traveler?
Most of the vineyards on Gran Canaria are old. Until the last decade or two most winemakers produced only for family consumption.
The increase in wine production and wine tourism can be attributed to the younger generation, who see a future in Canary Island wines. This means there are small, boutique wineries to visit, and unique wines to drink.
Do you often purchase wine when traveling and then stress about how to bring it home? Check out our guide on How to Travel With Wine – The Best Wine Travel Bags
Gran Canaria Wine Bodegas
We visited a few Gran Canaria wine bodegas during our stay on the island. You can visit most of the vineyards in Gran Canaria but it’s advisable to call in advance.
It was great to meet the winemakers and to taste some truly unique wines. We also visited a few restaurants or wine bars where we were able to taste other Canary Islands wines from bodegas we were not able to visit.
Overall, I was expecting the wines in Gran Canaria to be heavy and minerally. Instead, I found both the white and red wines were crisp and refreshing.
Bodega Los Lirios
Several of the wineries on Gran Canaria surround the area known as the Caldera de Bandama. The Bandama Caldera is a large cauldron-like hollow reservoir that forms after a volcanic eruption.
Many of the typical Gran Canaria tours will visit the caldera and its visitor center. But, the area is also known for wine.
Some of the vines are well over 100 years old at Bodega Los Lirios. Their bodega is one of the oldest on the island. Los Lirious only produces about 6,000 bottles a year, which for Gran Canaria is one of the larger wineries.
For many typical wine regions, this is tiny in comparison. They offer a lovely wine tasting, outdoors, with local Canarian cheese.
Bodega Los Lirios in Bandama is open Monday through Friday for tours and tastings, which generally take around two hours. The winery is only about 15 minutes by car from Las Palmas.
Bodega San Juan – Wine Museum and Winery Gran Canaria
If you are looking for a wine tour in Gran Canaria, certainly consider Bogega San Juan. If nothing else the history of this winery is incredible.
Cristina’s great-grandfather started Bodega San Juan in 1912. Recently, Cristina and her husband started to breathe new life into the family farm.
They opened their family’s historic wine museum to the public and have started to use a unique process for producing organic Gran Canaria wines. In 2017, they only produced 800 bottles, meaning if you want to learn the history of a small wine producer, this is the place to visit.
Bodega San Juan at Finca del Mocanal offers tastings and tours of the winery and the small wine museum with prior arrangements. The winery is located about 15 minutes drive from Las Palmas.
Bodega Los Berrazales – Winery and Coffee Plantation Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is one of the few areas in Europe that has coffee production. Coffee beans need warm and dry weather year-round. That’s exactly what a coffee plantation in Gran Canaria offers.
Families started producing Agaete coffee generations ago. A handful of families continue to own and operate Gran Canaria coffee plantations, most of them continuing to harvest by hand. One also produces wine.
Finca la Laja in Valle de Agaete is in the Northwest corner of the island, away from the Caldera Bandama Gran Canaria on the east. This Agaete coffee plantation is a working tropical fruit farm and Gran Canaria winery as well. Finca La Laja is a 5th generation coffee-producing family.
You can tour the plantation, farm, and winery, and enjoy a little light lunch at their restaurant, which features Gran Canaria cheese, meat, produce, and of course their own Bodega Los Berrazales winery.
Unlike the wineries on the east side of the island, they grow their grapes in the traditional way, under canopies to protect the grapes from the sun.
Other Wineries And Bodegas
There are about 50 or 60 wineries on the island. Other wineries to visit include Bodega Las Tirajanas Gran Canaria, Fronton de Oro, Bodega Hoyos de Bandama, and Bodegas Mondalon. Of these wineries, Fronton de Oro is the one you would be most likely to find at wine shops in the US.
Other Places to Taste Canary Islands Wine
If visiting a Gran Canaria bodega is not in the cards, there are a few other places to check out that specialize in local Gran Canaria wines, as well as wines from Lanzarote and Tenerife.
First, La Tienda de Paco in Tejeda is in the center of the island, in a cute little village. They carry a selection of Gran Canaria cheeses and wines all served in their tiny bar or on their terrace.
I’m also a big fan of restaurants that are worth a drive. La Trastienda de Chago in Galdar certainly falls within that category. Galdar is an adorable little down about 30 minutes drive from Las Palmas. Las Trastienda is the brainchild of Carmelo and Nereida.
They took a local bar and transformed it into a restaurant with a one-track mind – fresh, local ingredients. This also includes one of the best selections of Gran Canaria and Canary Island wines we saw on the island. A definite must-visit wine destination.
FAQs – Gran Canaria Trips
Yes! Despite how close it is to Africa, the Canary Islands are part of Spain. The Canary Islands have been owned by Spain since the last 1400s. All the rules and regulations that apply to residents in Iberian Spain, apply to residents living in the Canary Islands.
Because it is part of Spain, and therefore part of the EU, they use the Euro as the currency in the Canary Islands.
We’ve only been to Gran Canaria and Tenerife. I have to say for someone interested in food and wine, who is looking to go off the beaten path and avoid the all-inclusive resorts, Gran Canaria would make a great destination.
Like many places that are popular with sun-seekers, the Canary Island is very crowded in the Winter. Summers are very warm, making the Spring and Fall the best times of the year to visit.
*We were supported by the Gran Canary Tourism Board, but all views are our own.