Earlier in May 2023 I read a very interesting article in the local press about several new wineries in Lanzarote. One of them in particular caught my imagination, partly due to its name, Bodega Erupción. “Erupción” – meaning eruption, of course. It turns out that this winery actually owns its name to the last volcanic eruption in Lanzarote in 1824 which had several focal points, one of them in Tao, where the actual winery is. The wines names also take as reference various elements or materials from the world of volcanology, as you will see later.
Bodega Erupción is a family business, officially founded in 2021, dedicated to the production of “signature wines” from their own vineyards under the Lanzarote Denomination of Origin. They aim at positioning themselves within the gourmet market as their production is limited but of high quality.
Its founder, Amor López, is the third generation of a family of winegrowers and winemakers. A biologist and enologist by profession, she left her career in the pharmaceutical industry to take over the family business, undertaking the challenge as manager and winemaker, taking over the legacy of her father’s work of over 40 years of making artisanal wine.
I contacted Amor López and I made an appointment to visit the winery. This is the tale of my visit.
The winery is so new it’s not on Google maps yet. Even the Street View finishes on the corner of the street where the winery is located! Amor had suggested we meet at Tao’s Church, as their premises are literally across the Church’s square, and to give her a buzz when I parked so she would come out to get me.
I had never been to Tao before. I had only passed through on my way to Tinajo. I found that the easiest way to get to the Church if coming from Monumento al Campesino is to take the first street on your right, Calle Ahemon, just before Tao’s bus stop on the LZ-20. About 300m in you will reach the Church and that’s where the Street View leaves you to your own devices. Tao is a really sleepy town so it’s not hard to find parking in the vicinity.
I had allowed plenty of time to reach the agreed point, as I get lost easily. I took my time to sit on the Church’s Square and chill on the shade that some magnificent trees provide while I messaged Amor to let her know I had already arrived. She promptly came out to get me and she suggested a little walk down the road (the one Street View doesn’t show you anymore) to their nearest vineyard, which I happily agreed to. It’s in fact about 150m away, that’s how close by it is.
Amor is very friendly and approachable so she made me feel at ease straight away and the conversation just flowed. She told me, for example, that as well as the vineyards in Tao itself, they have other vineyards in the municipalities of Teguise, Tias, San Bartolomé and Yaiza. A total of approximately 5 hectares. The vines planted there are over a hundred years old, as they have been in the family for three generations. I marveled at some of the bunches of grapes peeking out through the vine leaves, some more them more incipient, some others more formed already, all still very green and therefore, almost camouflaged.
The only thing I wish is I had done differently for this part of the visit is to bring different shoes as, while she was showing me around their vines and telling me all about them, I was busy emptying the pesky “picón” stones from my shoes rather than paying the deserving attention to the explanations given! Lesson learned. Oh, and have I mentioned the views?
We then turned back on our own steps back to the Bodega Erupción winery premises. We went up some steep and narrow steps to the upper floor of the winery to a little courtyard where some of the old wooden barrels are kept as decoration. As you go in, there is a long room where some more wooden barrels are kept, alongside the little tasting corner that has some framed documents displayed. And then, through the arch, you can see the new and shiny steel vats. I loved the way the old and the new collided in this space.
Amor continued with her explanation on how in 2021 she decided that she wanted to follow her dream and took the plunge, how she went hunting for the custom-made vats and how she encountered finding someone that would deliver them on time for that year’s harvest. She also explained the new technologies used in obtaining and preserving the highest quality product the Lanzarote grapes have to offer. How each wine they produce is named and why. The care that goes into the design of each wine’s label to best represent them. The experiments and the dreams for the future…
Then we went downstairs on the other side of the building to a smaller room where the old press had been, where her ancestors had pressed the grapes with their feet, and now it’s also given to a more modern and efficient set up, alongside here little corner that she uses as her laboratory. Everything is done manually, the harvesting, the bottling, the labelling, etc. All in all, you can tell quite that this is a labour of love, quite literally.
To finish up, I’ll leave you with the tasting notes of their wines, where to buy or taste the wine and how to follow and contact Bodega Erupción.
Tasting notes:
White Wines
* Milagro de Magmasía 2021 – Colección (meaning Miracle of Magmasía – this being a play with the words Magma and Malvasía) of course, it been made of 100% “Malvasía volcánica” grape.
It’s a white dry wine aged for 11 months with its own lees.
Alcohol content: 13% .
Colour: Pale yellow. Clean and bright.
Aroma: The fruit diversifies between light aroma of tropical fruits with notes of dried flowers, saline and mineral finish.
Taste: full-bodied, slightly fruity with hints of grapefruit, herbaceous notes, long finish and very enjoyable.
Coming soon:
* Milagro de Magmasía 2022 – Selección.
Also, a white wine but will be made of these selecction of grapes:
80% “Malvasía volcánica”
10% “Diego”
10% “Moscatel”
* Milagro de Magmasía 2022 – Colección, again 100% Malvasia volcánica
Red Wines
* Luz de Obsidiana 2021 (meaning Obsidian’s Light), made out of 100% “Listán negro” grape, as exclusive to the island and the Canaries as the Malvasía.
It’s aged for 14 months with its own lees.
Alcohol content: 13,5%.
Colour: Medium layer ruby.
Aroma: Memories of ripe red fruits, black pepper and light licorice.
Taste: Tasty, silky, round with ripe fruit and soft mineral notes that make it exceptional.
Coming soon:
* Luz de Obsidiana 2022
Where to buy Bodega Erupción wines:
You can buy Bodega Erupción’s wine in specialised delicatessen shops like Algomás and Territorio Sibarita, both of them in Arrecife.
Where to taste them:
Bodega Erupción has already done wine pairings with selected restaurants like Palacio Ico in Teguise, Liken in Playa Blanca and Coentro in Puerto Calero. You can keep an eye on out What’s On section where we include these special events on the Food & Drinks section.
And of course, you can always book a private guided visit with the Bodega itself. At the moment the guided tours are offered on demand, in Spanish or English and they need to be booked in advance via email or WhatsApp (details below). It lasts about an hour and a half where you taste 3 different wines with their own accompanying snack, mainly Lanzarote cheese and bread. The price is €35 per person and the minimum number of people required per booking is 2.
You can also get in touch with them to tailor your own private event.
Contact:
Email: info@bodegaerupcion.com
Telephone: +34 669 06 54 45
Instagram: @bodegaerupcion
Website (available soon): https://www.bodegaerupcion.com/
Photo credits: Adriel Perdomo and Tony Cantero. Graphic Designer: Rafael Jiménez
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