The Land of Water and Fire (Part III)

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Lanzarote, Canary Islands (Spain)

I know many people who have heard about Lanzarotes beautiful beaches, but besides crystal clear water and great temperatures (even in December!), there's a lot more to see and experience. It's impossible to summarize the secrets of the island in just one post - so this one is going to be the first of a series called The Land of Water and Fire. 

Bodega Stratvs (Wine Tour)

La Geria (Wine Region in Lanzarote)

It's easy to associate wine production to Bordeaux or Tuscany. It's not that easy to picture a vineyard in an island destroyed by catastrophic volcanic eruptions that left no else than black volcanic sand. This might had been the end of crops, but soon the locals realized that some plants, such as vine, grew even better in these areas. 

How do you cultivate vine on ash and volcanic sand?

Vine is planted in cones made out of picón (little stones ejected from a volcanic eruption, also known as lapilli) and protected by little stone walls. This type of structure allows the plants to easily take root on the fertile ground, while the mantle of picón retains moisture from the air and prevents evaporation, keeping the vine hydrated during a longer time. The crater shapes holes usually have a diameter of 2-4 meters, given that the roots of the plant need their space to spread horizontally. The shape of the holes and the small stone walls facing the north-east, protect the crop from the trade wind. 

This is how it look like underneath the crop

Presenting... the most innovative Bodega in Europe

The Bodega Stratvs was founded in 2007 by a local family with several other investments across the island (among others, a Cheese Farm in Uga and a luxury hotel in Playa Blanca). The farm extends over 2.500m2. 

The farm is located in the Barranco del Obispo (the Bishop's Ravine). Something that really caught my eye during my visit, was the smart way the winery and its installations were constructed - it was built underground, preserving the original topography of the ravine. Also, locals materials were used - such as volcanic stone, iron and wood - in order to lower the visual impact. 

This, together with their use of the latest technology, explains how the owners spend 25 million euros in this wonder. 

How to spend a day in Bodega Stratvs.

1. Take a tour - 10 € per person, 45 minutes tour, 3 wine tastings
2. Have lunch at one of their 2 restaurants (Terraza Grill and El Aljibe del Obispo) and order a bottle of wine
3. Spend a ridiculous amount of time in their gourmet shop
4. Doubt about which wine you're going to buy
5. Go to their bar and make a second wine tasting of your own. 
6. Go back to the shop and get the bottle(s) of wine you liked most 

When you get to the hotel, you'll realize that you bought too many bottles and might have some customer problems when trying to smuggle back more alcohol than actually permitted  (for the UK it's 1 L - I was interrogated). 

Tip: In case you are not doing the tour, but still would like to buy some wine or simply want to order online (Europe only) and don't know which one to take, my personal recommendations are Crianza 2007 (Red) and Dry Malvasia (White). 

For more info on Bodega Stratvs click here. 

If you liked this post, you might also like:

- The Land of Water and Fire (Part I)

- The Land of Water and Fire (Part II)