The route of the estates: a tour through the cultural landscape of the old wine estates of northern Tenerife

The aim of this book is to highlight the landscape and artistic heritage produced by the large wine estates of northern Tenerife, which emerged in the 16th century and remained in the hands of wealthy landowning families until the mid-19th century. These estates produced the famous "Canary Sac" or Malvasia de Canarias, a wine renowned throughout Europe during the early modern period.
Although these old estates are difficult to identify today because the landscape has been greatly modified, the survey carried out by the authors has made it possible to study eighty-two estates: their origin, evolution of ownership, forms of exploitation and architectural and ethnographic heritage.
Based on this case study analysis, the proposal suggests enhancing the value of these remains as a heritage resource for the development of cultural tourism through walking routes that follow the old northern royal road, allowing visitors to recognize and interpret the traces left by these mining operations in the rural landscape of each region. This initiative would enable the development of a new strategy for utilizing a cultural resource that has been largely untapped until now, and would also leverage the brand image of Malvasia wine from the Canary Islands.