SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, May 2. (EUROPE PRESS) –
La Palma has joined the ‘Volcano Treasures’ project promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Canarian Institute of Agro-Food Quality (ICCA), with the aim of promoting the inclusion of Canarian wines with designation of origin in the menus of the restaurants of the archipelago and, specifically, on the island of La Palma.
This initiative, developed by the sommelier Rasa Strankauskaite and the expert in cheeses and other Canarian products Zebina Hernández, began in November of last year in Tenerife with the aim of expanding it to all the islands to achieve the inclusion of Canarian wines from limited productions and singular in the gastronomic offer offered by restaurants throughout the archipelago.
A total of 24 restaurants on La Palma have joined this activity, which includes face-to-face tasting sessions and informative talks on the characteristics and differentiation of 40 Canarian wines awarded in the official Agrocanarias wine competitions. In addition, these conferences have the support of audiovisual resources to explain, with greater appeal, the aspects that make Canarian wines unique, such as fusion viticulture; the climate and the influence of trade winds and the sea of clouds; young volcanic soils; and the genetic wealth of non-existent varieties elsewhere.
Likewise, the sessions will have a part dedicated to highlighting other volcanic treasures such as the internationally awarded artisan cheeses that pair perfectly with the intensely flavored wines of the islands.
The tasting days that take place today Tuesday and next Monday, May 8, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., in a total of 24 restaurants on the island that have been selected, especially those that do not count on their menus with wines from the Canary Islands or those that have very little representation, they aim to disseminate their benefits as well as the necessary knowledge to offer customers a unique and high-quality culinary experience.
Today, Tuesday, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Government of the Canary Islands, Alicia Vanoostende, and the director of the ICCA, Basilio Pérez, inaugurated a conference whose purpose is to enhance and show the value of the wines of the islands. Vanoostende stressed that it is essential that there is “an increasing presence of Canarian wines in restaurants in the archipelago and that consumers can appreciate their excellent quality, recognized outside the islands with numerous national and international awards.”
For his part, Basilio Pérez pointed out that customers “are increasingly demanding and want to know the origin and traceability of the product, and through these conferences the wine lists of restaurants are revalued so that consumers can choose them with even more knowledge “.
JOURNEYS
After the presentation, the second session will aim to promote the sale of wines by the glass, so the restaurateurs will taste eight wines paired with Canarian artisan cheeses, a combination of flavors that arouses great interest among consumers.
On Monday, May 8, the sessions will continue in other restaurants on La Palma with the tasting of eight wines of the slimy variety, wines with more structure, great tannins and a long-lasting wine. In addition, in order to understand the tannins, the restaurateurs will taste different chocolates from different sources and in amounts proportional to the tannins.
Next, they will be able to taste eight Canarian sparkling wines to appreciate the qualities of these wines full of freshness and their pairings. Finally, the day will conclude with the reading of a text that tells the story of Malvasia, accompanied by a tasting of two Malvasias from La Palma.
