D.O. Valle De La Orotava

Wine tourism in D.O. Valle de la Orotava

The D.O. Valle de la Orotava is located in the Orotava valley, from which it takes its name. It is not really a valley, but a tectonic trench. It is a gentle slope, of little incline, with the vineyard between 400 and 800 m, and it occupies the municipalities of La Orotava, Los Realejos and Puerto de la Cruz.

A unique region for unique wines

The Denomination of Origin Valle de La Orotava and its Regulatory Council came into being by ORDER of 15 November 1995 (Official State Gazette of 30 November 1995).

In the early 1990s the Regulatory Council was created to guarantee the quality of the wines of the comarcal area, which comprises the municipalities of Los Realejos, La Orotava and Puerto de La Cruz, in the North of Tenerife.

The volcanic character that the island gives to our soils, the trade winds that produce the well-known Panza de Burro ("donkey's belly" cloud), the temperate climate, sweetened by the cold Atlantic current, and the Cordón Trenzado (braided cordon) training system made it necessary to protect the winegrowing comarca and endow this area with a Denomination of Origin.

The land and the climate

The Valle de La Orotava is a winegrowing area with denomination of origin since 1995, covering the municipalities of La Orotava, Los Realejos and Puerto de la Cruz. Geographically it is a gently inclined slope, which means that its 400 hectares of cultivated vineyards extend from the foot of the Teide to the sea.

Areas

The vineyards of Valle de la Orotava lie between 400 and 800 m. They are known as medianías (mid-slopes); the soils are red in colour, loose, light, permeable, rich in mineral nutrients, with a slightly acidic pH, fertile and of volcanic origin.These soils are found on slopes and gullies and the vines are on trellises 60 cm from the ground, in the form of original braided multiple cordons, with a length of 3 to 4 m.

Microclimates

The climate of the La Orotava comarca fits within the characteristics of the general atmospheric dynamics of the Canary Islands climate and, in particular, of the windward slopes of the western islands.

The Orotava comarca is one of the richest in water of the Archipelago. It was one of the first areas where galleries began to be dug in search of water resources for expanding irrigated crops. The water demand entailed by banana plantations and, above all, tourist activity, has led to the development of a series of reservoirs and tanks to supply the comarca. Notable are the Balsa de la Cruz Santa and that of the Barranco de Benijos.

Reds

Authorised: Bastardo Negro, Moscatel Negra, Tintilla, Vijariego Negra.Preferred: Listán Negro, Malvasía Rosada, Negramoll.

Whites

Authorised: Bastardo Blanco, Forastera Blanca, Listán Blanco, Marmajuelo, Moscatel, Pedro Jiménez, Torrontés.Preferred: Gual, Malvasía, Verdello, Vijariego.