“Oh knight thou lackest a cup of canary: when did I see thee so put down?”
~William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
I was convinced Juan Carlos was a stand-up comedian.
From his opening monologue, to the irreverent jokes he made with the utmost of reverence, to his crazy sing-along at the end of the tour, this was not your typical guide. Even during our free time, he never stopped, turning into the pied piper of tour guides: “Anyone who wants to try a barraquito, follow me!” And the wonderful thing was, I may have learned more – and I certainly laughed more – with Juan Carlos at the helm than I have on other ship tours.
The Seabourn Sojourn was docked overnight in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the island’s capital city. Tenerife is the largest and most populous of the Canary Islands and is home to Mount Teide, a dormant volcano that is Spain’s tallest peak. Herb and I had signed on for an excursion that would take us on a walking tour of the nearby town of San Cristóbal de la Laguna as well as a winery visit where we would have a chance to taste the island’s infamous Malvasia wines.
San Cristóbal de la Laguna
It’s about a fifteen-minute drive from Santa Cruz to San Cristóbal de la Laguna. Along the way, Juan Carlos offered insight into the city known locally as simply “La Laguna.” Considered the island’s cultural center, La Laguna was built with the same standards as San Juan, Puerto Rico, Montevideo Uruguay, and other Spanish colonial cities in the Americas. Our tour would take us through the historic city center and the city market.
Scenes from the City Center
As he led us through the old colonial streets, Juan Carlos pointed out significant buildings, sometimes stopping to tell a story, sometimes taking us inside. I immediately saw the connection between the architecture of La Laguna and two of the cities Herb and I have visited in South America – Montevideo and Quito, Ecuador. Some of the buildings seemed almost frozen in time, while others were well preserved or had kept up with the times. Renovations here are outrageously expensive, Juan Carlos told us, and it’s almost impossible to outfit some buildings with modern utilities.
A Glass of Barraquito
After the walking tour, we were dropped off at a market to take a break or grab a snack. But before we headed out, Juan Carlos suggested trying a Spanish coffee drink called a barraquito. There is some liquor involved, he said with a sheepish smile. And although it was 10 a.m., we couldn’t pass up the chance to try this beverage that is apparently a popular mid-morning drink among the islanders. We followed Juan Carlos inside the market to the very crowded Bar San Miguel, where he placed our orders. A barraquito is made with coffee, condensed milk, cinnamon, lemon and a Spanish liquor, he explained. And just as he promised, it was delicious!
Casa del Vino
Our next stop was a wine museum called Casa del Vino, housed in a 17th century hacienda. We watched a film about Canary Island winemaking and wandered through the museum and shop, but didn’t have a tasting here. That was next on the itinerary.
Bodegas Monje
A few minutes from Casa del Vino is one of the loveliest settings for a winery. Vineyards at Bodegas Monje cascade down hillsides that appear to drop off into the sea. With its panoramic view of vines, sea and surrounding mountains, it’s a place you could settle in for quite a while.
Bodegas Monje’s location offers a special micro-climate for growing grapes. With 1,500 vines per hectare, the winery has a limited and numbered production. Wineries on Tenerife are the main producers and exporters of all Canary wines, with Malvasia Aromatic the most popular white grape and Listán Negro the most widespread red variety.
After touring the winemaking facilities, we were treated to a tasting of three wines paired with delicious local appetizers. The wine-growing soil here is volcanic, like the vineyards on Lanzarote, but the growing methods and conditions are quite different, creating a much more palatable taste. We liked these wines so much, in fact, that we bought two bottles – one red and one white – to bring home for our family’s Thanksgiving dinner.
Sing Along with Juan Carlos
The ever-entertaining Juan Carlos wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity for some fun on the ride back to Santa Cruz. He had put together a playlist of songs that involved a bit of time traveling. Although he didn’t explain his reasoning for the selections, I imagined he thought this was what Americans would enjoy. There was Y viva España, which he made sure we all shouted out at the appropriate time; there was the Macarena, which transported me back to my now adult children’s childhoods; and there was Sweet Caroline, which involved a resounding “so good!” reverberating throughout the bus.
When we said our goodbyes, Herb jokingly asked Juan Carlos where we could find him performing his comedy routines. Without missing a beat, he replied, “on tour buses!”
This stop sounded fun and delicious. Familiar with the Malvasia but not the Listan Negro. How did it pair with Thanksgiving?
Hi Jason, “fun and delicious” are perfect adjectives for this one! Both wines paired surprisingly well with our turkey dinner. It was especially fun because of where we bought them. From what we learned, most of the Canary Island wineries have quite small productions and are distributed locally. The larger wineries export to the UK, but not so much to the US, although they will ship directly at a not-so-inexpensive price. A wonderful souvenir to share with our family!
Oh my, Mary, I’ve been asleep at the wheel and had missed your day in Tenerife. How glad I was to discover it today and to read about your enjoyable time on the island. Our visit had left us with a similarly positive impression though I had to reread my own post to remind myself exactly where we had visited! (Garachico) I’ll admit to knowing nothing about Canary Island wines and would be wary after the Lanazarote experience. Perhaps I ought to keep an open mind, however?
Juan Carlos sounds like a true professional who enjoys his job and who contributed to the fond memories you took away from Tenerife. Bravo that man!
Gill, I just looked up Garachico to see where you had been! I’m glad you had a positive experience as well. We knew absolutely nothing about Canary Island wine – or the Canary Islands, for that matter! – before the trip and were happy to discover these wines on Tenerife. I highly recommend a wine tasting or tour If you ever find yourself returning here. And yes, bravo to Juan Carlos! He ranks up there as one of our favorites. Unfortunately, because this was a ship’s tour, I wasn’t able to get his contact information.