| Tenerife is the largest of the seven islands
that make up the Canary Archipelago. It is located off the west coast
of Africa, approximately 1500 km south of the Iberian Peninsula. Since
the Canary Islands formed part of the trade route to the New World it
could be said that its wine also belong to the new World.
The first vineyards arrived to the Canary Islands from Spanish conquerors
and European settlers during the 15th and 16th centuries. The conquerors
brought a rich variety of vines from their native lands. The Canary
Islands became an ideal location for wine growing because of the volcanic
soil and the perfect adaptation of the stock to the microclimates present.
Wines from the Canary Islands gained a national and international reputation
during the 16th and 17th centuries. Their importance became evident
in the local economy. The quality of the wine and the advantageous geographical
location led wine exportation to be a natural economic activity. Canary
Wines were popular in the English Court and there are numerous references
to the wines in literary works by William Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scout
and others.
Finally, it should be noted that the Canary Islands played an important
role in the development of viticulture in the New World, especially
in Mexico,California and Peru since the original vine shoots in these
locations came from the Archipelago.
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