La Palma is a DO winegrowing zone in the Canary Islands archipelago of Spain. The 'Island of the Palm' acquired its DO status in 1993, although its rich history of winegrowing dates back at least to the 16th Century.
The designation covers the whole of the island, which is located to the northwest of Tenerife and La Gomera and directly north of El Hierro. The upside-down, teardrop-shaped island is, like its Canarian counterparts, volcanic. It reaches its highest point at 7949ft (2423m), a rocky mound named Roque de los Muchachos ('Rock of the Boys'). It differs from the other islands in that it has waterways and, as a result, features a green countryside.
©Milan Kment
Vines are thought to have been introduced to La Palma around 1505 by the Conquistadors. Later settlers followed suit, bringing with them a great variety of grapes. La Palma's wines, particularly those made from Malmsey (Malvasia), became popular in Europe in the centuries that followed, and Lord Byron and William Shakespeare are said to have made reference to them. Exports were boosted again when phylloxera hit mainland Europe. The island's strategic location along main trade routes aided its progress.
La Palma's topography is abrupt and irregular, with vineyards sitting at altitudes anywhere from 650ft to 4900ft (200m–1500m). Although the overall climate is mild, the variable landscape can have a considerable effect on grape-growing conditions, depending on a vineyard's location. Vineyards can be found precariously clinging to the island's steep volcanic slopes or planted between other crops and even in ditches. To distinguish between these marked contrasts, the DO is divided into three sub-zones:
- Fuencaliente, which occupies the southern part of the island. Its chief feature is land covered with volcanic ash, known as picón. The grapes grown here are mostly white.
- Hoyo de Mazo, the high, central part of the island. It is characterized by soil consisting of volcanic ash and rocks (empedrados), and vines planted on steep terraces carved out of the mountains. This area is best known for its red wines.
- Norte de la Palma, the northern sub-zone, where vineyards are located on very fertile slopes.
La Palma produces a wide range of wines, mainly from varieties native to the island. These come in all colors, as both young and aged wines. One example is Vinos de Tea, a local specialty made from Tinta Negra Mole grapes and aged in pine barrels. The resulting wines are resinous in nature, with unique flavors derived from both the grapes and the barrel. Additionally, the island produces naturally sweet wines produced from Malvasia Bianca and occasionally from red-wine varieties. Other prominent white-wine varieties include Albillo, Bermejuela (Marmajuelo), Bujariego (Vijariego Blanco), Gual (Bual) and Listan Blanco (Palomino), while Listan Negro, Malvasia Negra and Tintilla (Trousseau) are the leading reds.
Vineyards still take up just a small percentage of the island's area and are often interspersed with plantations of bananas, strelizia flowers and oranges, all which thrive on La Palma's volcanic soils.
