496. El Grifo, Malvasía Collección Lanzarote, 2008

€23.90; 13%

Another one of the better Lanzarotean bodegas, and having tried their basic wine (a little short) on the first night, Katy & I encountered this barrel-fermented (but with care, adding gentle toasty notes) premium wine at the superb Bodega de Uga restaurant. Fortunately, this was available at the airport, so I got a bottle – not cheap, but given the challenges of growing grapes in a volcanic, wind-blown wasteland… We finally drank it with a tilapia & dill sauce entrée when Kev, Pete and Whippet came over for dinner. Nice apple, toast and melon aromatics, with good length and freshness on the palate. Good stuff!