Some wines are explained by the grape; others by the ground. Lanzarote’s Malvasía Volcánica belongs to the second kind. It grows in soil that less than three centuries ago was a lava field, in hollows dug by hand into black ash, and it reaches the glass carrying something of that origin: freshness, a faint salinity and an aroma unlike the whites of mainland Spain.

What Malvasía Volcánica is

It is the signature variety of the Lanzarote Designation of Origin (DO Lanzarote), a Malvasía adapted over generations to the island’s conditions. It is grown above all in La Geria, the landscape of vines planted in hollows ringed by low stone walls that shield each vine from the wind. The layer of picón — volcanic lapilli — covering the soil holds the moisture of dew and scarce rain, and is the reason vines can grow here at all.

In the glass, the most common style is a dry white, aromatic and fresh, with a salinity that makes it a natural partner for fish. The island also has a long tradition of sweet Malvasías, for centuries among the best-known Canarian wines abroad.

El Grifo, the winery that keeps the memory

Bodegas El Grifo describes itself as the oldest winery in the Canary Islands: its founding dates back to 1775, a date confirmed by the foundation stone uncovered during restoration work in the 1980s. It stands on the LZ-30 road, in the municipality of San Bartolomé, inside the protected area of La Geria.

What makes it worth the visit is its wine museum, housed in the estate’s old manor house. It keeps the original 1775 wine press and the tools used to make wine on the island ever since: a history of Lanzarote winegrowing told through objects, without artifice. The winery also runs visits with tastings.

Opening hours, visit formats and prices change with the season: check its official website before you go (information as of October 2026).

Other wineries

La Geria has more wineries that open their doors, of different sizes and styles. We would rather not give you a list here that we have not been able to check: the Regulatory Council of the DO Lanzarote keeps the register of member wineries and is the reference for planning a route.

A simple rule for choosing: two unhurried visits rather than five rushed ones.

How to do it calmly

  • Who drives. La Geria is explored by road, and a tasting is a tasting. Decide beforehand who drives, or book a guided visit with transport.
  • When. Mid-morning, while the light is still clean over the black hollows. The harvest on Lanzarote is early, in summer; the rest of the year the landscape looks just as good and the wineries are quieter.
  • What to take home. Wine, yes. Picón, stones or ash from the landscape, no: La Geria is a protected area and its soil is precisely what makes it possible.

At the table

Dry Malvasía calls for the catch of the day, papas arrugadas with green mojo and goat’s cheese. We cover how to eat on the island in Eating on Lanzarote.

We cover the landscape of hollows and stone walls where this grape is born separately, in La Geria.