Azores Wine Company

History of the Azores Wine Company estate

The story of Azores Wine Company begins in 2010, when Portuguese oenologist António Maçanita undertook, together with the agricultural development services of São Miguel, to save the Terrantez do Pico, a nearly extinct local grape variety. Captivated by the unique potential of the Azores, he joined forces with Filipe Rocha and Paulo Machado — a native of Pico and heir to four generations of winegrowers — to officially found the estate on 3 April 2014. That same year, production already reached nearly ten thousand bottles.

Also the founder of Domaines Fitapreta in Alentejo and Maçanita in the Douro, António Maçanita has established himself as one of the great names in Portuguese wine, accumulating numerous distinctions, including a remarkable score from Wine Spectator as early as 2016. On Pico, the estate has patiently restored dozens of hectares of vineyards and built a modern winery on the island's north coast, designed in harmony with the protected landscape. Production now exceeds 140,000 bottles, driven by a single ambition: to bring the wines of the Azores to the world.

Terroirs and Vineyards of the Azores Wine Company estate

The terroir of Azores Wine Company is among the most spectacular on the planet. Located on the island of Pico, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, approximately 1,450 kilometres from Lisbon, the vineyard stretches at the foot of a volcano rising to over 2,300 metres. The estate cultivates around one hundred hectares on this black soil and supplements its grapes with purchases from other islands, such as Graciosa and São Miguel.

The viticultural landscape of Pico, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004, is shaped by the currais — small lava-stone enclosures that protect the low-trained vines from the salty Atlantic winds. The volcanic soils, made of basalt and almost entirely devoid of topsoil, force the vines to root in the cracks of the rock. From this extreme environment emerge mineral and iodine-laced wines, produced from indigenous varieties such as Arinto dos Açores, Verdelho, Terrantez do Pico and Saborinho, as well as from old hybrid vines sometimes more than a century old.

Winemaking at the Azores Wine Company estate

At Azores Wine Company, winemaking seeks above all to preserve the purity and energy of the grape, on a terroir where achieving full ripeness can sometimes be a challenge. The whites, the heart of production, are vinified to express the freshness, salinity and mineral tension that are characteristic of Pico, with certain cuvées benefiting from extended lees ageing, which adds volume and complexity.

The reds and rosés, rarer under this oceanic climate, captivate with their freshness, running counter to prevailing trends. The estate is also reviving the sparkling wines of the Azores, produced from 2011 onwards using Terrantez do Pico and then Arinto dos Açores, and is working to resurrect the famous sweet wines of Pico that travelled the world more than four centuries ago. The estate's modern winery was, moreover, specifically designed for the production of great white wines.

The cuvées of the Azores Wine Company estate

The Rare Grapes collection showcases the archipelago's most precious indigenous grape varieties. The Arinto dos Açores, a bright and saline white, is the result of the very first single-varietal Arinto produced on Pico; it is also available in an exceptional cuvée, the Arinto dos Açores sur Lies 3 Colheitas, a blend of three vintages aged on lees. The Verdelho O Original revives this great island variety in a pure and taut style, while the Terrantez do Pico — a variety rescued from extinction and the true founding act of the estate — displays a striking freshness, minerality and salinity.

The Volcanic series celebrates the volcanic soul of Pico. The Branco Vulcânico, a fresh and iodine-tinged blended white, is ideal with seafood; the Rosé Vulcânico, delicate and saline, plays the card of refreshing indulgence; and the Tinto Vulcânico, a light and distinctive red, demonstrates the estate's talent for crafting fresh red wines under an Atlantic climate. These pure, saline wines are born in the middle of the ocean, at the foot of the Pico mountain.

The estate also offers singular cuvées. The Erupção Vulcânica, an ambitious red, brings together the finest wines from several vintages in pursuit of the most complete expression of Pico's volcanic soils. As for the Isabella a Proibida, crafted from the Isabella grape variety sourced from the island's old vinhas de cheiro, it playfully embraces its status as a long-prohibited grape and is available in both a red version and the Isabella a Proibida Rosé.