Monday, March 14th, 2011
More than a hundred people attended Bodegas Rubicon vineyard for the presentation and tasting of the exquisite wines produced from last season’s harvest.
The 2010 grape harvest has produced some “excellent” Denomination of Origin wines according to the chairman of the Regulatory Board Javier Betancort at the presentation in the Bodegas Rubicon winery last Friday. More than a hundred people had the opportunity to taste and enjoy the most recent wines produced in Lanzarote.
It is only the third time in the 17 years since the Regulatory Board was created that Lanzarote Denomination of Origin wines have been awarded a rating of “excellent” by the tasting committee. The committee tasted a selection of twenty-five 2010 vintage wines, including ten dry malvasias, six semi-sweet whites, four rosés, three tinto joven reds, a sweet malvasia and a sweet muscatel.
Javier Betancort briefly went over the main facts and figures relating to the sector’s productivity in 2010; a year in which the grape yield barely reached a million and a half kilos – a million less than the average year, but nevertheless a year when sales increased by some 32% on the previous year. Some 1,930,869 back labels were supplied by the Regulatory Board to the 17 member wine producers so that each and every bottle could boast the distinctive logo identifying its quality as a Lanzarote Denomination of Origin wine.
The chairman of the Regulatory Board accredited the positive upturn to the joint action undertaken by the Canarian government, Lanzarote’s inter-island council, the Lanzarote Chamber of Commerce and the Regulatory Board itself, which have worked together to promote Lanzarote wines as a valuable marketing tool to attract quality tourism to the island.
The Cabildo’s Agriculture Councillor, Nereida Pérez, also addressed the presentation and thanked the efforts and collaboration of all those involved in the island’s wine producing sector. She also took the opportunity to underline the importance of the Food & Wine Plan promoted by the Cabildo which has contributed to the promotion of Lanzarote wines as a tourist attraction.
The presentation of the 2010 Vintage evaluation included speeches by wine experts Tomás Pérez (El Grifo vineyard), Alberti González (Stratvs vineyard) and Alejandro Felipe (La Geria vineyard) who summarized the qualities of the excellent white wines, rosés and red wines produced in Lanzarote this year.
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Friday, February 11th, 2011

500 bottles of Dry Malvasia and 500 bottles of Red wine produced by Lanzarote vintner La Grieta are soon to be enjoyed by the demanding Japanese market.
Five hundred bottles of Grieta’s Dry Malvasia and another 500 of its 2010 Red will soon be wending their way to Japan, one of the world’s most discerning consumer markets. Lanzarote wine makers La Grieta, located in Punta Mujeres, produces regulated appellation wines that are classified as Designation of Origin “Lanzarote wines”.
The La Grieta wines have been picked up on by a prestigious importers of Spanish wines in Japan who sent a representative from their Barcelona office to visit winemakers Ricardo Socas and Sabina Leeuwenburg in Lanzarote last November. After sending a selection of wines to their head office in Japan for tasting, they were given the go-ahead to ship out 1,000 bottles which will be distributed in restaurants, hotels and bars in the capital Tokyo as well as the region of Kansai which includes the cities of Osaka, Kioto and Kobe.
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Monday, February 7th, 2011

The series of workshops opens with Javier Betancort speaking about the Regulatory Board that governs the Designation of Origin “Wines of Lanzarote”, followed by another talk by José Juan Otamendi about the future of the island’s wines and vineyards.
On the 4th February at 7pm, Teguise’s Municipal Theatre opens its doors to “Lanzarote Tourism and Viticulture 2011″ – a course of informative and practical workshops organised by the Wines of Lanzarote Designation of Origin Control Board in association with the Friends of Wine Association, Lanzarote Cheese and the José Clavijo and Fajardo Foundation.
The inaugural session kicks off with a talk about how the Control Board works and the characteristics of the Designation of Origin Wines of Lanzarote given by the president of this organisation, Javier Betancort. This is followed by lawyer and co-owner of the Bodegas El Grifo vineyard, José Juan Otamendi, who will address the issue “Lanzarote Wines and Vineyards – an Uncertain Future”.
With the 100 places all but filled, the workshops are essentially aimed at students and people who work in the tourism sector, the hotel trade and restaurant industry. However, they are also open to any member of the public who may wish to sit in on them.
The workshops will take place over three different sessions, in February (pruning season), May (when the vines are checked and treated) and in July or August (time of the grape harvest). The first session ends on Saturday 5th February with a theoretical and practical activity on pruning and harvesting which will be given by agricultural engineer and wine expert Alberto González at the Bodegas Stratvs vineyard starting at 9.30 am. Once this activity is completed, delegates will have the opportunity to take part in a wine-tasting session.
The second session will take place on Saturday 7th May in the socio-cultural centre in Yé and will include a lecture given by the official chronicler of Haría, Gregorio Barreto, followed by a theoretical and practical activity in the area of the La Corona volcano directed by the owner of the Vega de Yuco vineyard and agricultural engineer, Rafael Espino. This second session will also end with wine-tasting in the social-cultural centre.
The date of the third session has yet to be confirmed, but will be held between July and August. The first part will cover the entire process of the grape harvest and the second part will be given by Orlando Ortega, owner of Lilium restaurant, who will talk about how wines are presented, kept and served.
The series of workshops on Lanzarote Tourism and Viticulture 2011 was initially to be held in Spínola Palace but owing to refurbishment work the venue has been changed to the Teguise Municipal Theatre.
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Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Fruit are a true source of energy, vitamins and pleasure. Their presence is synonymous with life and happiness, as well as health. Among them, citrus fruits are particularly noteworthy, especially the lemon, which is one fruit which offers the greatest benefit for the whole family’s health. Its healing power is found in its low energy value, a balanced level of sodium and potassium and, as we all know, its high vitamin C content.
As the lemon has such a low level of carbohydrate, it is of great help when losing weight. Eating lemon means taking in vitamin C without additional calories. It has an abundance of vitamin C which strengthens the body’s defences to avoid illness, particularly in the respiratory system – anything from simple catarrh, hoarseness, tonsilitis, to pneumonia, bronchitis, colds, flu, pleurisy, asthma, etc.
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, has a great disinfectant strength and also has antitoxic action against microbial poisons and medication. Along with vitamin C, lemons also contain vitamin P which helps tone the blood vessels and capillaries.
This vitamin is also called the capillary permeability vitamin: without it the blood capillaries become fragile and may break easily, causing small haemorrhages.
It helps to heal all types of injuries when taken internally and applied externally.
Lemons are very rich in minerals particularly potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorous (they also contain sodium, iron and fluoride).
Potassium for example is an essential component for life and beneficial for the treatment of hypertension.
Lemons contain some B complex vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, PP).
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) prevents and cures the illness beriberi whose symptoms are paralysis, oedema and insufficient cardiac function. It is also involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates.
Vitamin PP (niacin) prevents pellagra or rough skin, an illness which shows itself through inflammation of the skin, poor digestion and mental disorders. This vitamin is vital to maintain the skin’s health, the digestive system and the nervous system.
It is a fruit which could be defined as medicinal par excellence as it contains healing properties for more than 150 illnesses.
In any part of the body where toxins are found, whether in the blood, the organs or the tissues, once ingested, the lemon goes to combat them, dissolving their accumulation and expelling them.
In cases of food poisoning from consuming bad food or a bad combination of food, or slow digestions and liver and gallbladder ailments, the lemon acts by returning the affected functions to normal, neutralising toxins and helping eliminate them.
It is the best protector against infectious illnesses.
In cases of fever it helps to eliminate it, oxidising and excreting toxins which have not been duly neutralised and eliminated, which the exception of rheumatic fever.
The lemon is good for cases of high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease as it stimulates the circulation. In cases of diabetes it helps to avoid complications related to the arteries.
It prevents kidney stones from forming and may even slowly dissolve them.
As with any other medication, its consumption is directly linked to the physical state of each person as it is a great aid to health yet its consumption must be restricted in use against particular conditions when it may not be recommended for sufferers of these ailments.
It is not recommended in cases of mineral and calcium deficiency, anaemia, rickets, fragile bones, gum inflammation, weak and rotten teeth, mouth and throat ulcers, a cracked tongue, wounds on the skin, the elderly or weak children, insomnia, acidosis, sensitivity to acids, chronic constipation, inflammation of the prostate, inflammation of the uterus, bladder or oesophagus, while menstruating, nervous disorders.
There are numerous fruits which have similar characteristics to the lemon within citrus fruits, such as pomelos, limes and grapefruit.
The amount to take depends on each person and their biological constitution. For example, people with a strong constitution can tolerate more than the elderly and children, people who are obese more than slim people, and is taken better in summer than in winter as the cold slows its elimination through the skin.
Depending on these factors, anything from small amounts of juice to half a lemon may be taken and those who are able to tolerate it may take the juice of up to three lemons daily.
The lemon is the champion among healing and preventative fruits and a great provider of vitamins, as it is a great eliminator of toxins and a powerful bactericide.
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Friday, March 19th, 2010
We have created a new Lanzarote business directory. This new version offers a very long list of all the services offered by some of Lanzarote companies, alphabetically categorized in order to localize each and every service in the best and easiest way.
If you wish to appear in this new business directory, please feel free to contact with our sales department, hoping this new service fits your needs and requirements.
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