One of the delights of Spain is the diversity of the wines available and now, fortunately, someone has had the great idea of putting on bus tours to the winemaking areas in the north of Tenerife. What an inspiration! It has always been a challenge to visit vineyards, enjoy the wine tasting and still get home without breaking the law. Now you can sit back, feel the wine flow though your veins and let an experienced driver take you safely back to where you started.
From May to October “La Guagua del Vino” (pronounced wa-wa, the Canarian word for bus) the Wine Bus, will take you on tours of the different districts, You can get to know the countryside, tour the vineyards, find out the different ways the grapes are grown and the see the wine making techniques. There are several different regions to visit: Tegueste, La Laguna, Tacoronte, El Sauzal, La Matanza, La Victoria and Santa Úrsula. On some of the trips there is an option to have a meal along the way so you will be introduced to some of the local specialties.
The bus can be picked up in either Santa Cruz or La Laguna
For more information see the website www.rutasyvinos.com
Puerto De La Cruz Council in Conjunction with Canarias De Ideas are bringing back Inspiración Tenerife 2009, the popular music festival held in the open air, at the famous Lago Maritanez, near the beach in downtown Puerto de la Cruz. As last year there will be a full line-up of international and local DJ’s to help you cruise through the night
When: August 8th, 8pm - 3am
Where: Lago Martianez, Puerto De La Cruz, Tenerife
Football news
Over the last two months we have reported on the rising fortune of CD Tenerife. Tension had been growing all year as the “Blanquiazules” - the blue and whites -rose up to the top of the second division to finally gain their place in the first division.
The last match of the session was on July 7th, at the Heliodoro Stadium in Santa Cruz in front of a crowd of 20,000. A win would have also secured them Championship against Castellón, promotion ri¬vals Zaragoza and Xerez having drawn their matches the previous day. However, in the last minute Omar Sampedro Bernardo, known as Omar, managed to slip the ball past Sergio Aragoneses, the final score being 2 -1 to Castellón.
A win would have been the icing on the cake for Tenerife but it was not to be, but at least they will start the next season in the first division, a just reward for their season’s hard work.
Food, glorious food.
In case you can’t go one of the wine tours and taste some Canarian food here is a typical dish you try at home. Chick peas, or garbanzos, are healthy and nutritious and a good way to make a little bit of meat go a long way. Every family has their own recipe so you can change the ingredients to suit yourself. If you have sausages, beef or pork at home you can use that, it all adds to the flavour.
As we say in Spain - ¡Aproveche! - enjoy!
This is also one of the hot dishes we serve at our Academy Café.
Garbanzos casserole
300 g garbanzos (chick peas)
1 chorizo - 200 grams
4 slices of bacon
1 ham bone – if available
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
1 potato
Instructions
Wash the beans and leave them to soak overnight, at least 10 hours, or use pre-cooked ones from a jar or tin.
Fry the chorizo and bacon in a pan and discard fat for a healthy option dish.Peel and cut the vegetables into large chunks.
If using the uncooked beans put in a pressure cooker with the other ingredients and cover with water and cook for 25 minutes once the full pressure has been reached. If you do not have a pressure cooker simmer in a saucepan until the beans are tender, this can take 60 to 90 minutes.
If using the pre-cooked beans cook the vegetables first in a saucepan in a little oil for 10 minutes with the lid on, stir occasionally, then add the beans, meat and ham bone and enough water to cover them, and cook until the vegetables are tender. Season with pepper and salt to taste. This dish can be kept for several days in the fridge and is best made the day before needed. Serve hot and sprinkle with coriander for an extra burst of flavour.
Be part of Spanish life…
Our Spanish language courses take place in the morning so you will have the rest of the day and the weekends to enjoy the island. When you come and study at the Academy you will be sure of a warm welcome. We will tell you more about local events during your stay…we look forward to seeing you soon.
For more general information about Tenerife see: www.webtenerife.com
FU Tenerife Spanish Language School: Spanish language courses and hotel internships on Tenerife
