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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk with Aviva Insurance. We have tracked down our travel expert Ed Finn this week. It was a struggle to find him but he's joining us from Gran Canaria where he's been exploring the island's wine route. Good morning, Ed. Good morning, Clare. How are you? We found you. I'm delighted we found you. We didn't know where you were.
And then we find that at 10 o'clock in the morning, our time, you're drinking wine in Gran Canaria. How bad?
I know, I know.
Chapter 2: What unique wines can you discover on Gran Canaria's wine route?
I've been having the most fabulous days. I mean, I suppose a lot of people, Clare, don't realise that
and me one of them that Gran Canaria has been producing wine for centuries so I've been here on this wonderful they have a wine route and they have grapes and wines that are completely unique to the island here so I've been tasting wines and roadway food that I had never even heard of before and it's really nice because it's kind of in the middle of the island and up to the kind of west and the north so it's
Like the temperature here, it's very funny because they have two climates here. So down south, most people will know the beaches, the resorts. But when you come up to the north here, this volcanic part of it is very lush. And imagine 13 wineries there. I haven't done all of them, but I've done a good few.
So what happens? Do you go on a planned route on this Gran Canaria wine route? How does it work?
yeah they've got together and they've produced this wine route now there's over actually like it includes restaurants hotels like we were staying in a beautiful kind of a self-catering place uh called albor sweets but yeah so they've kind of got together vineyards uh wineries restaurants and they've put together this wonderful book and the grand canary winery and i must say
It's fab because I thought I was in Cuba yesterday. You think you're in the huge South American influence here. Very authentic, very unspoiled, not touristy at all. You know, really, really nice. So very interesting. And I like really, I mean, every day is a school day, but the wines and grapes here that are unique and indigenous to the island itself.
So are you mostly then going through, going on an inland route or do you get to see some of the coastline on this wine trip?
Yeah, so Las Palmas, obviously, which is on the coast. I mean, there's a nice beach here as well. But mostly, yeah, you're in the interior, which is really kind of where the vineyards are located, the centre and the west. And they have different climates. It's amazing, you know, that you literally go from one place to the next. And it's about altitude. So you learn all about it.
Like if you're at 500 metres, the grapes are different. If you go up to, we were at 1200 metres the other day. And, you know, so the different grapes grow at different climates. But very, very interesting, you know, and of course it's lava and it's volcanic here as well. So it's a Grand Canaria that I had never experienced before and like wonderful. And the food there is amazing.
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Chapter 3: How does the climate affect the vineyards in Gran Canaria?
And it's a biosphere up here as well, Clare. And for example, like Ferreira Roche, they pick a little town every year where they completely decorate for Christmas. And they chose Tequeda as the nicest town in Spain to decorate for last Christmas. So that'll give you an idea of how pretty and lovely it is.
The Ferrero's went there. They're in the trees with all the ambassadors. Can you imagine? So listen, you mentioned UNESCO there and you have the UNESCO listed sacred mountains. Did you pay a visit?
Yeah, listen, absolutely. And I mean, the sacred mountains. So there's two, when you're driving around, you'll see two big, huge rocks and they stand up now. It's a mixture of like basalt rock and sort of sandstone. And this is amazing. And it looks like it's a huge, big, it's like a massive statue, but they're all naturally formed. And I mean, they are stunning.
So if you've been to Lanzarote and you've driven around, you know, the Timanfaya National Park there, the lunar landscape, It's quite similar in a way to that. But that's the thing about the Canaries, like every island is different. And this is really different as well. And also, Clare, for people that like golf, yesterday I was playing, I played one hole at the oldest golf course in Spain.
Can you imagine?
One hole? I didn't get a hole in one.
I know, I know.
Too busy with the wine. Can you hike part of that wine trail as well, if you want to get the walking in between the glasses? You can.
Yeah, absolutely. And there's loads of people there cycling, hiking there. It's a fantastic place for that. The air is so fresh up here as well. Now, today I'm going to visit Columbus's house because in 1492, Christopher Columbus, he always stopped off here before he went on to the Americas. Very, very interesting. You know, that's very, very, there's a Casa de ColĆ³n museum.
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