After sailing away from Lanzarote it was time for this cruises RSS Splendor Crew Capers, and a martini.
Crew Capers is one of the shows I always try to see as it is the night when the Crew puts on a show.
The Crew have their version of a talent show to make it into the cast and then rehearse in their own time before putting on one show per cruise.
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Our penultimate port on our Atlantic Crossing was Lanzarote, Spain. Lanzarote is another of the Canary Islands and is known as a tourist destination as well as wine producer.
Lanzarote is the 4th largest island in the Canary Islands and is, apparently, the first island in the chain to have been settled. The island is covered in dormant volcanoes, the ash from their eruptions in the 1700’s covered a large portion of the island which now home to the vineyards that Lanzarote is famous for.
After two relaxing days at sea we arrived in Tenerife, Spain, which is the most populous island of the Canary Islands.
I had originally looked for a private tour in Tenerife, but could not find one that the numbers would work, so decided on one of the ship’s tours. My criteria included a bit of history, local food and, of course, some local wine.
Start your tour with a guided visit to La Laguna World Heritage city (UNESCO) and we will continue to ” El Sitio Winery” that was inaugurated in May 2016.
Located in the municipality of Tacoronte (Tenerife) is the only Canarian winery with energy self-sufficiency. This winery was created by the González Yanes family.
D. Francisco, along with his three children, wanted to fulfill his vital desire to make the wines he dreamed of. His extensive business experience in foreign markets have been essential to their position, in a short space of time. Bodegas el Sitio and its mono-varietal wines, full of the minerality of the volcanic soils of the islands, as the most desired by consumers of premium wines.
After your visit and wine tasting we will have a nice and typical Canarian brunch at Tasca La Sabina restaurant, where you will enjoy some of their most typical dishes such as Canary cheeses with gofio, paprika and cheese macerated in cilantro; homemade fig jam and “quesillo”, Canarian pork tenderlion with almogrote sauce; kneaded gofio skewer and scrambled with Teror chorizo.
Savor the canarian gastronomy paired with the best wines of the Island. An unforgettable experience!
We learnt on our tour that Canary Islands, Islas Canarias, were not named for the birds but probably because of the sea dogs, seals, that were in abudance on the islands. Islas Canarias in English is Islands of the Dogs.
wander
More wandering
After our exploration of La Laguna it was time to head to Bodegas El Sitio. The main reason I picked this tour.
When we arrived at El Sitio another tour group was tasting their wines so we had to wait a bit. This gave me time to go for a bit of a wander and to experience the amazing views from the winery. Well worth the time.
Before the main event, the tasting, we were given a tour of the winery, which, as they only opened in 2016, is very modern.
As most of my previous large group winery visits had meant that you only got to try the wineries entry level wines, I asked our tour guide if it would be possible to try El Sitio’s more premium wines. She said she would ask.. The El Sitio team were more than happy to accommodate my troublesome requests.
2023 El Sitio Malvasía Aromática. Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| Appearance: | Bright pale straw |
| Nose: | Pleasant mix of tropical fruits, lychees stood out, and white flower aromas |
| Palate: | Refreshing, balanced |
| Finish: | Medium length |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3 out of 5 A good start |
2018 De Yanes Malvasía Aromática. Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| Appearance: | Deep bright gold |
| Nose: | Reserved nose of tropical fruits and jasmine aromas |
| Palate: | Balanced with a nice mouthfeel |
| Finish: | Medium to long length with a bit of residual sweetness on the tail |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3.5 out of 5 I bought this one. |
This was one of the wines from their back vintages that they opened for me to try.
2022 El Sitio Verijadiego Negro. Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| Appearance: | Light ruby |
| Nose: | Earthy combo of cherry and pepper aromas |
| Palate: | Light, evolving tannins |
| Finish: | Medium length |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3 out of 5 Young… I bought this one as well. |
If you are in Tenerife I would recommend a visit to El Sitio. Don’t forget to ask for the good stuff. Even if you are not that into wine the view is worth the effort by its self.
The local cheeses and bread served with the tasting were pretty good. An enjoyable tasting all round.
What was a surprise was that none of my fellow travellers asked if they could taste what I was being shown. Did not cost me anything more and the bottles were open.
After our very enjoyable visit to Bodegas El Sitio it was time for lunch where we would be having a classic Canarian meal.
Our destination was Tasca La Sabina.
Tasca La Sabina has a great view and an eclectic mix of art throughout the place. The place has been built to look after the tourist trade, let’s see how they go with the food and wine!
Our welcome drink was a Kir Canery. Cava from near Barcelona with banana liqueur. Refreshing with a light spritz… It is La Sabina’s take on Kir Royal, this one was more to my liking than the traditional Kir..
The first dish was Black Canary Island Pork, gofio (the thing that looks like a meatball on the skewer), egg with a cheese sauce. This was pretty good and also filling. We also had a cheese platter that was also good. The cheese in the glass was a bit sweet. A big tick of approval for the food. Now for the wine..
White Wine. Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. I guess it was a Malvasía, no bottles were seen, so probably poured from a small barrel or a large format commercial bottle.
| Appearance: | Pale Straw |
| Nose: | Lively mix of citrus aromas |
| Palate: | Lots of fruit |
| Finish: | Medium with a sweet |
| Oz’s Rating: | 2.5 out of 5 A bit like Assyrtiko |
Red Wine. Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| Appearance: | Medium deep ruby |
| Nose: | Big bold fruit and spice aromas |
| Palate: | Harsh, firm tannins |
| Finish: | Medium length |
| Oz’s Rating: | 2 out of 5 Not a fan |
If I was to visit Tasca La Sabina again, I would ask for the wine list..
How cool is this horse!
After La Sabina it was time to head back to the ship and to get ready to sail to our next port of call Lanzarote.
Tenerife is definitely more developed than Cape Verde and a lot busier port. We were lucky that we did not come across any tour groups from the Norwegian ship that was in port at the same time as us. I expect that Tenerife can get pretty crowed when there are couple of the larger ships in town.
I am heading back to Tenerife in 2026 so will have a chance to check out more wineries.
Two ports to go…
One of the regular onboard events of a Regent Cruise that I look forward to is the Connoisseur Wine Lunch. I was not sure if I was going to be able to get a seat at this lunch as it was booked out on DAY ONE! Luckily for me they decided to move it to Compass Rose so they could include more people.
The Connoisseur Wine Lunch is hosted by the Head Sommelier, which was Alan on this cruise. The menu is crafted by one of the Restaurant Exec Chefs. Both the Chef and Alan ensure that the wines and food are well matched.
NV Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut, Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay. Reims, Champagne, France
| Appearance: | Light pale straw, persistent tight bead |
| Nose: | Pleasant mix of brioche, apple and pear aromas |
| Palate: | Refreshing, balanced |
| Finish: | Medium length |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3 out of 5 Reliable as always |
São Vicente, Cape Verde is where I had my first steps in Africa… Well a part of Africa as it is around 450kms (300miles) off of the west coast of the African Continent.
BTW the country tag line for Cape Verde is “No Stress”, I can see why.
São Vicente was discovered by the Portuguese on Saint Vincent’s Day in 1462, hence the name. However, due to its arid landscape and lack of significant natural resources, it remained largely uninhabited for centuries, primarily serving as a place to graze cattle. I did not see a single cow whilst we were traversing São Vicente, though they could have been on the other side of the island.
In the 19th century this all changed due to its location and safe and deep anchorage, the British established a coaling station there to refuel the steamships that were traversing the Atlantic. Transforming Mindelo, the largest city on São Vicente into a thriving and cosmopolitan city. It was a very quiet place on the Sunday we were there.
The influx of international merchants, and ideas create a unique cultural melting pot, making Mindelo the cultural capital of Cape Verde. It even has its own Carnivale… Seems to be a theme. I wonder if you could do a cruise up the coast of Brazil and across to Cape Verde that would take in each port’s Carnivale. Maybe something I should suggest to Regent???
A few random photos from the Atlantic Ocean during the sea days between Recife and Cape Verde.
Saragassum is a free floating seaweed that originated in the South Atlantic and then ends up in Florida and along the Easter Sea Board of North America.
