El Grifo Orange Wine Moscatel

Volcanic eruptions must be one of the most powerful and fascinating natural phenomena on earth. Magma, gases and other materials are expelled from under the Earth’s surface through the mouth of a volcano, having a serious impact on the land. On the island of Lanzarote (Canary Islands) between 1970 and 1976, a series of eruptions of the Timanfaya volcano drastically transformed the landscape and the local people had to adapt to these new conditions. This is why today this island’s cultivation method is completely unique. Local farmers plant the vines in deep holes called “chabocos” and then build semicircular stone walls to protect them from the wind and capture moisture. El Grifo, the oldest winery in the Canary Islands, has integrated this cultivation method and, working with pre-phylloxera vines, they produce new and original wines without losing the soul of the region.

El Grifo Orange Wine Moscatel, an orange wine made with Muscat of Alexandria, the island’s star variety grown on ungrafted, centuries-old chabocos, starts out as a great harvesting experience. The grapes are harvested by hand and the bunches are taken to the winery the same day in 18-20 kg boxes and stored in a climate-controlled chamber. The next day the grapes are carefully destemmed and fermentation begins with the skins. Three months later, they are pressed to make an extremely natural orange wine that is unfiltered, unclarified and with no added sulphites.

Orange, natural and complex, El Grifo Orange Wine Moscatel is a wine with a uniqueness that comes from more than just the winemaking process. As well as being macerated as a red wine, the variety and the volcanic area the grapes grow in make it unique.