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La Geria : The Vineyards of Lanzarote Print E-mail

La Geria - The Vineyards in the Center of Lanzarote

La Geria Lanzarote
lf you take the road from Uga to Masdache, between the mountains of Chupaderos and Guadilama, you come through the wine growing area of Lanzarote at the border of the Timanfaya National Park. Driving along this road is an exciting experience, partly because of the narrowness of the winding road which is directly bordered by lava fields and vineyards, and partly because of the unique quality of the black landscape. The good grapes of Lanzarote grow here in this area of "La Geria" which will become the Malvasia wine, most suited to the climate. (See the map below)

La Geria - Vineyards of Lanzarorte
The area "La Geria": Here the good wines of lanzaroe are growing.

Local farmers could sidestep the problem of Lanzarote’s extremely low rainfall, which was obviously a major hurdle for any kind of crop or wine cultivation in this area. The method of cultivation for wine producers is that everything has to be done by hand. The vine stocks are individually planted in craters dug to around two meters in depth. They are then covered in "Picon" (black cinders) and protected further by the semi circular "Zocos" - Zocos are the halfmoon round stone walls made from the natural lava stones from the fields to protect the crater against the wind and to keep the cinder on the fields.

La Geria Grapevine
Each plant must be protected from the ever present and strong blowing wind by this half-moon wall of volcanic stones. The vines grow well in the middle of the small craters in the cinder covered earth, while the "picon" itself allows to store the night time humidity and transfer it to the roots in deeper areas to water the vine and encourage growth.

The curving walls - the "zocos" - are typical for this part of Lanzarote and are a unique and photogenic experience. Some newer wine fields now started to have long walls of natural stones designed with little roads between the rows of grapevines to harvest the wine more easier than only by walking and pick by hand.

Normally and since hundreds of years at harvest time all of the grapes must be hand picked - it is impossible to drive through the landscape with its thousands of craters and walls.


La Geria vineyard cultivationThe road through La Geria
The road leads through the black fields and passes the grapevines.


Small Chapel in la Geria
Wines of Lanzarote from the "La Geria" can be tasted in various 'Bodegas' and also be bought. There are small villages, bodegas, restaurants, wine bars along this road and special tourist places where one can stop and purchase the wine. Anyone who enjoys a journey of discovery in the interior of an island is in the right place in La Geria!

Tipp:
Avoid driving in the late afternoon along this road towards Uga (towards west) and towards the setting sun. lt is nearly impossible to see the black road, between black fields, with the strong light of the sun direct into your eyes.


La Geria - Wine-growing on Lanzarote
The lovely and very interesting varying lanscape of the area La Geria
invites for a walking tour through the black cinder and to brethe the
air and the smell of this unique part of the island.

Location Map La Geria

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