Delicious wine made from... bananas !

The Canary Islands produce many excellent wines and have a long tradition in exporting them to Ireland and Britain. Several streets in various towns and cities in the Canaries are named after Irish wine merchants who settled here to conduct their business many years ago. One of the main streets in the capital of La Palma is called Calle O'Daly and in Tenerife there's a Calle Jose Murphy named after the descendant of an Irish wine merchant who even went on to become an early mayor of the city of Santa Cruz.

Calle O'Daly

All the wines were and are made from grapes, naturally, but now a new white wine is being produced here from selected ripe Canarian bananas using the same method as with grapes. The quality of this blanco afrutado de platanos is surprisingly good and it tastes more like a semi-dry fruity white wine made from grapes. It is best served cold at between 6-8ºC, but when drank above that temperature the light taste of ripe tropical fruit will be slightly more pronounced, which will suit those who like a more fruity wine. The new wine is called Plate and it is rapidly making a name for itself after its recent launch on Tenerife. It should not be confused with the failed attempts by a German entrepreneur who tried to produce a sparkling banana 'champagne' here on La Gomera some years ago, but failed miserably and had to give up after most of his bottled stock exploded because the fermentation process didn't stop.

Plate is in a different class altogether and favourably compares with good white wines.  It is skilfully and professionally produced without any additives and definitely worth watching out for. In Valle Gran Rey on La Gomera you can sample and buy it exclusively in the shop and bodega called 'Vino Tinto'  down by the harbour. Recommended to drink here or to take home as souvenir.