Bodega El Grifo

Bodega El Grifo is the oldest winery in the Canary Islands, standing in San Bartolomé, Lanzarote since 1775.

Why is this the oldest winery on the islands?

El Grifo was established only a few decades after a series of volcanic eruptions between 1730 and 1736 buried much of Lanzarote under ash and lava. Rather than ruining agriculture, the volcanic ash turned out to help it: a layer of porous black stone, locally called "picón" or "rofe," traps overnight moisture and stops the soil from drying out under the island's hot, windy conditions. That allowed vines to grow where other crops failed, and El Grifo is counted today among the five oldest wineries in all of Spain.

Where exactly do the vines grow?

The bodega sits on the LZ-30 road, inside La Geria Natural Park, a protected landscape since 1994 famous for its rows of funnel-shaped pits dug into black volcanic soil, each sheltering a single vine. The family directly farms around 32 hectares, relatives cultivate another 30, and grapes are also bought from roughly 300 local growers across the island. Together this supply produces more than 400,000 bottles a year, mostly from malvasía, the grape most associated with Lanzarote.

What is the winery's connection to César Manrique?

The estate was bought by the family that still runs it in 1880, and today the fifth generation is in charge. Its direction changed thanks to a friendship with César Manrique, the Canarian artist and architect behind much of the island's approach to landscape preservation. Manrique convinced the owners to keep the old farm buildings standing rather than tear them down, turning them into a wine museum, while a new working winery was built right next door. That new production building opened in 1981 and still operates alongside the historic structures.

What is inside the Wine Museum?

The old cellars, with their thick walls of volcanic stone finished in white lime typical of traditional Lanzarote architecture, now house the Museo del Vino. It holds close to 500 pieces tied to the island's winemaking past, including antique grape presses, pumps, crushing equipment, and stills once used for distillation. The collection traces how winemaking methods on the island changed over more than two centuries before modern technology took over. More than 60,000 visitors pass through every year, making it one of Lanzarote's most visited attractions.

Can visitors tour the winery and taste the wine?

Yes, the bodega runs guided tours and tastings of its own wines. Visitors move between the historic museum and the working production area, learning both the traditional method of growing vines in volcanic ash and the modern winemaking process used today. It is an unusual chance to see more than two and a half centuries of wine history in a single site.

Frequently asked questions

Is El Grifo the oldest winery in the Canary Islands? Yes, it was founded in 1775 and is recognized as the oldest working winery in the Canary Islands and one of the five oldest in Spain.

Why do vines grow in volcanic ash here? The layer of ash, or picón, left by the 1730-1736 eruptions traps moisture and stops the soil from drying out, letting vines grow in Lanzarote's dry climate without artificial irrigation.

What does César Manrique have to do with this winery? He suggested the owning family preserve the old buildings as a wine museum instead of demolishing them and build a new winery beside them, which is how the current 1981 layout came to be.

What can you see inside the El Grifo Wine Museum? Close to 500 exhibits, including old presses, pumps, crushers and stills, showing the history of Canarian winemaking, all housed in the original volcanic-stone cellars.