Area guide: Arrecife

Eight wine addresses in the capital, five of them wine shops, three wineries out on the roads, and a Sunday with a single bar open.

Arrecife is the capital, and here the wine is not trodden in the vineyard: it is tasted in the shop and served at the bar. The city brings together eight wine addresses, and almost all of them sit in the centre, where four of the five wine shops lie within walking distance of one another and the fifth is a quarter of an hour from the group.

The plan suits two travellers: the one who has already sorted out the wineries and now needs somewhere to buy and somewhere to sit and taste, and the one travelling without a car. It only asks for one look at the calendar before setting out, because the city's opening hours follow their own logic and no two days are alike.

The five wine shops

Five doors for wine in the city, and no two are quite alike. In three of them tasting is part of what they advertise: El Vino de Fran, Katu and Territorio Sibarita.

El Vino de Fran, the one-owner shop

Fran runs the wine shop on calle Carlos V on his own, and his website boasts more than ten years in the trade. The fruit of those years is a selection of labels from varied wineries, chosen by him, with home delivery for whoever does not want to carry boxes. The shop is also a plan in itself, because tastings are advertised, and it holds almost three hundred reviews on Google with a 4.9.

The opening hours are those of the neighbourhood shop, and this is where you look twice: two shifts on weekdays, 8:00 to 10:00 and 16:30 to 19:00, and Saturday mornings only. On Sunday it is closed. And every bottle comes with advice from the owner himself, which is no small thing.

Katu, Canarian wines with something to nibble

The taberna on calle Ramón Manchón, next to the Plazuela, advertises itself as specialised in Canarian wines, and its plan is bar and tapa, not shopping. Wine tastings and a kitchen are among its services, and Google gives it a 4.9 on almost two hundred reviews. The hours are evening ones: Monday to Friday from 18:00 to 22:00, with a midday opening on Thursday from 12:00 to 14:00, and Saturday from 12:00 to 15:00. On Saturday night there is no Katu, and Sunday is closed.

Territorio Sibarita, the pantry in the middle of a move

On calle Fajardo the pantry rules. Territorio Sibarita presents itself as a wine shop for small wineries, and around the wine it piles up products from the island, courses, tastings and events, plus an online shop with collection at the store within 24 hours and delivery. It opens mornings only, 10:30 to 13:30 from Monday to Saturday. And there is one detail worth reading before you go: on its website it says that after eleven years it is looking for a better location for the shop, and while the works last it takes orders at the Fajardo premises or over WhatsApp.

Strava, the midday vermutería

The fifth address advertises itself as a vermutería on calle Ginés de Castro, and it is the one that collects the most reviews in the area by a wide margin: 1,230 on Google, more than triple the wine shop that follows it. Its website is being redesigned, so the practical part is the hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 13:00 to 22:30, and Sunday from 12:00 to 17:00. Closed Monday and Tuesday. This is the no-fuss midday option: a vermouth, a bite to eat and time ahead of you.

Somm & Company, the discreet one

About Somm & Company, on calle del doctor Rafael González, little is known: no website, no published hours, and thirteen reviews with a 4.8 on Google. The recommendation is the simplest of all. Walk past the door or phone ahead, because nothing else is on record.

The wineries, outside the centre

From the wine drunk in the city you move on to the wine made on its doorstep. The three wineries of the area all work outside the centre and at none of them is a visit confirmed. The one that tells its story in public is Lágrima de Malvasía, a winery and olive mill on the carretera de Los Mármoles. Behind it comes Producciones Arráez Bravo, a family of growers from La Mancha settled in Arrecife that has turned malvasía volcánica into its brand, with vinegars around it. They take calls Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00, and the visit starts with a phone call.

The time and sweat of men managed to make the grapes bleed their destiny.

Fernando Arráez Bravo, on the website of Lágrima de Malvasía

The other two come with less written about them. The address on record for Bodega Agrur is in San Bartolomé, already in the neighbouring municipality, and what is visible in public is a Facebook account with no activity and a single review, with 5.0. There is no way to confirm it is still open, so here the phone comes first. Bodega Lanzarote works on the carretera de Yaiza, by Playa Honda, and publishes no hours nor confirms visits. For now there is a name, an address and a phone number, and little more.

The eight, at a glance

Sunday and the rest of the week

Of the eight addresses, only Strava opens on Sunday, so the last-day plan is called vermouth or it waits for another day. The rest of the week falls into place: the mornings belong to El Vino de Fran, to Territorio Sibarita and to Lágrima de Malvasía, the evenings to Katu and to El Vino de Fran, and from one o'clock onwards to Strava. For taking bottles home there are two safe stops: at Territorio the choice of small Canarian houses rules, with a pantry to complete the purchase and the online order ready in 24 hours, and at Fran, the selection the owner signs himself. The only stops that call for a car or a taxi are the roadside wineries.

The plan we would put together

If the wineries are already booked for the trip, the capital asks for the quiet afternoon: a glass at Katu and an hour among the shops in the morning. If your last day lands on a Sunday, the other wine doors will be shut and the vermutería closes at five. And if the return suitcase is going to carry bottles, the whole purchase is settled in one morning, no car needed.

* We recommend checking the exact conditions of each offer with the provider.