It's grape harvest time now in Lanzarote. I see farmers busy harvesting in the nearby fields and trucks with crates of ripe grapes driving through the village.
Grape vines grow all around Mozaga. Around La Geria, in the west, there are the some of the island's most famous vineyards and bordegas.
I read that in the 18th century, Lanzarote was a lush island with thriving agriculture. However, there was a huge volcanic explosion in the 1730s, leaving thick layers of ash and volcanic pebbles on the ground. At first, the farming communities of Lanzarote saw this as a complete disaster.
However, they soon found that the new layer of nutrient-rich volcanic soil was ideal for farming certain types of crops. Its spongy consistency absorbs water quickly and retains moisture. The ash also acts as a kind of insulator, keeping the soil temperature consistent even if the air temperature fluctuates.
Grapes now thrive in the ashy soil. The cool breezes from the Atlantic and the warm temperatures from the African mainland give the kind of warm-to-cool variation that grapes need. Days are warm and almost always sunny; nights are very cool. The difference in temperature, known in the viticulture world as the 'diurnal temperature variation', is important for grapes to develop both the right amount of acidity (from cool nights) and sweetness (from warm and sunny days).
Over the years, local farmers perfected a method for protecting the grapes. The young vine is put in the ground after the farmer has scraped out a wide, shallow hole in the volcanic soil. Then, larger volcanic stones are balanced around the wind-facing edge of the hole, creating a low, semicircular barrier. These are called zucos. The young vine can soak in the sunshine without being hampered by shadows, and the hole is shallow enough so the plant can get nutrients and trapped water from the volcanic soil.
Each Lanzarote vineyard has thousands of zucos, each holding a single vine of red or white grapes - currently being harvested to make delicious wines, which will be exported around the world.
However, they soon found that the new layer of nutrient-rich volcanic soil was ideal for farming certain types of crops. Its spongy consistency absorbs water quickly and retains moisture. The ash also acts as a kind of insulator, keeping the soil temperature consistent even if the air temperature fluctuates.
Grapes now thrive in the ashy soil. The cool breezes from the Atlantic and the warm temperatures from the African mainland give the kind of warm-to-cool variation that grapes need. Days are warm and almost always sunny; nights are very cool. The difference in temperature, known in the viticulture world as the 'diurnal temperature variation', is important for grapes to develop both the right amount of acidity (from cool nights) and sweetness (from warm and sunny days).
Over the years, local farmers perfected a method for protecting the grapes. The young vine is put in the ground after the farmer has scraped out a wide, shallow hole in the volcanic soil. Then, larger volcanic stones are balanced around the wind-facing edge of the hole, creating a low, semicircular barrier. These are called zucos. The young vine can soak in the sunshine without being hampered by shadows, and the hole is shallow enough so the plant can get nutrients and trapped water from the volcanic soil.
Each Lanzarote vineyard has thousands of zucos, each holding a single vine of red or white grapes - currently being harvested to make delicious wines, which will be exported around the world.
Grape Harvest Haiku
nestled in zucos
juicy amethyst and quartz
make famed island wine
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