Paisaje
Paisaje
Bodega
Harvesting Grapes | Harvesting Grapes |
|
The protected site of La Geria spreads over 1,298,515 acres, mainly covered with vulcanic ashes resulting in a unique landscape that stands out for its singularity, high quality and fragility. The site is famous for the holes dug in the ashes , some even 3 meters deep and 8 meters wide, used to grow the grapes. Every hole is surrounded by a little wall made of volcanic stones, giving some bliss to the vine against winds and sand.
The most common grape in the area is the white ‘Malvasía’ grape and some others, like black ‘Listán’ and ‘Moscatel’. At la Geria, they only get 1,500 kg of grapes per hectare (=2,471 acres) due to low density of vines per square meter. This is due to the huge surface taken by the holes, even though they can get about 25 kg of grapes out of each vine. 
Weather conditions in the island are an important factor affecting the grape production, since raining is an uncommon event here. The continued crop of grapes can be explained by the typology of the ashes. The sand lets the water through quickly onto the fertile soil, preventing it from evaporating, so vines can stay alive for years using only few rains.
By the start of august it is time for harvesting. This is the soonest time in Europe, due to the many sun hours they get in Lanzarote and the mild temperatures (16ºC-28ºC). The harvest is done manually since it is impossible to use machines, due to the difficult terrain. 
|