Europe,  Partnership,  Spain,  Tenerife

AtoZ: wine tour at Bodegas Monje, Canary Islands

03/04/2014 / 30 Comments

Our first trip with our baby took us to Tenerife, Canary Islands. Tenerife is a great family destination and during our stay, we wanted to try local food and of course the local wine. Did you know that you will find many wineries in Tenerife? They are located in the most amazing places of the island. If I’m honest, the first thing that caught my eye from Bodegas Monje was their views. In the terrace, you can enjoy their wine while having views from El Teide, the vines and the beach.  I hope you can appreciate the amazing view in the panorama picture below.

Bodegas Monje - panorama view
Bodegas Monje – panorama view

History of bodegas Monje

The bodegas Monje is run by the fifth generation of the Monje family. The winery was built in 1956 and renovated in 1983. They still have some of the old oak barrels and combine the tradition with modern techniques.

The vineyard is located on a hill in El Sauzal, 600 meters above the see level. On a rich stony ground created by the volcano and the time. With some grape varieties that can only be found here: Listán Negro, Listán Blanco, Negramoll, Tintilla, Vijariego negra, Marmajuelo.

View of El Teide from Bodegas Monje
View of El Teide from Bodegas Monje

Guided wine tour at Bodegas Monje

Our guided tour started with a visit to the vines to learn more about how the winery works. In the past, the vines were laying on the ground and then were lifted up with pieces of wood in order to avoid the grapes were touching the ground, like in the vines below. Nowadays the vines are higher. Some processes are done with machines, but the harvesting of the grapes is mostly done manually.

traditional vine
Bodegas Monje – traditional vine

The process of squeezing the grapes is now done with modern machines. If you go to a winery in France, you must probably see a more “old fashion way”. If you visit a winery in New Zealand, you will see also the same kind of machines as in Bodegas Monje.

Our visit continued inside. Where we saw the oak barrels used for the fermenting of some of the wines. Here the temperature is perfect for the fermentation, which is done with a mix of a traditional and a modern way. While the wine is fermenting in the barrels, they also served as decoration.

Oaks barrels

If you visit Bodegas Monje, you will realize that is not just a winery, they also collaborate with local artist and offer their space to exhibit their art. When we were there, there was an exhibit of pictures from a student of the photography academy.

Wine tasting at bodega Monje

At the end of the tour, we had a tasting of their wines. I only tried two as at the time I was breastfeeding. I choose to try those grape varieties that cannot be found anywhere else. If you are a wine lover, you must try their carbonic maceration wines. You have different options for a wine tasting at Bodegas Monje. From one or two wine glasses to whole wine tasting with food pairing.

Bodegas Monje - the wines
Wine tastin in Tenerife 

Workshops and events

A visit to Bodegas Monje is a “must do” in Tenerife. Even if you are not a wine lover, they offer other activities where you can enjoy their food and their terrace like a good breakfast or lunch. A cooking workshops or the special night event ¨wine & sex¨.

Bodegas Monje - enjoying the sun in the terrace
Bodegas Monje – enjoying the sun on the terrace

The wine & sex is probably the most ingenious and provocative event. A dinner with a wine tasting and an erotic twist. There’s a wine & sex dinner per season, so check their website for the details.

Bodegas Monje - wine & sex
wine & sex dinner and wine tasting

Practical information

Bodegas Monje is located in “La Hollera”, Camino Cruz de Leandro, 36 in El Sauzal.

You can visit the winery every day from 10:00 to 19:00. The guided tours are at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00.  The restaurant is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00.

Have you been to the Canary Islands or is it in your bucket list?

Thank you, Bodegas Monje for the guided tour and the hospitality during our visit!

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