From William Shakespeare to Isaac Newton

Relations between the Canary Islands and the United Kingdom: history and wines

The relationships between the Canary Islands and the United Kingdom are not only based on modern tourism but also on centuries of commercial exchange. One of the most important products was Canary wine, especially appreciated in England during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Canary wine in English literature

William Shakespeare mentioned Canary wine in his works. In Henry IV (second part), the landlady Mistress Quickly reproaches Doll Tearsheet for drinking too much "canaries", a wine that, according to her, "perfumes the blood". Falstaff, a great fan of sack, orders Canarian wine in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Canarian wine also appears in Twelfth Night. Shakespeare never wrote the word "malmsey", but historians believe that this canary was the malmsey that the islands exported to England.

Isaac Newton and the wine from the Canary Islands. Trade between the Canary Islands and Great Britain

According to a very repeated anecdote, Isaac Newton also appreciated Canarian wine, although we have not found solid documentation to confirm it. What is well documented is that, during the 16th and 17th centuries, Canarian wine was one of the most prized in England, and its trade connected the islands with British ports.

Curiosities about Isaac Newton

Newton was a character full of curiosities: besides his scientific discoveries, he spent years on alchemy and even inserted a needle next to his eye to study the perception of light. But that is another story.