ONE-OF-A-KIND TERROIR IN THE WORLD
A unique terroir in the world, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, at the base of the Pico volcanic mountain, the vineyards are planted in the crevices of the rock, near the sea, where you can hear the "crab singing". The Azores Wine Company Winery on Pico Island, Portugal - is explicitly designed for the creation of excellent white wines. There is a daily battle between the force of nature of the volcano and the people who shapes the landscape for the vines.
The history of the Azores Wine Company began with a project to recover the Terrantez do Pico variety in 2010, by winemaker António Maçanita and culminates with the foundation of the company on 3 April 2014, together with Filipe Rocha, Paulo Machado. On the island of Pico, the vines grow in extreme conditions, very close to the sea and planted in the crevices of the bed rock, in volcanic soil, defying the very definition of soil. Pico's vineyards are unusually close to the sea, between 50 and 300 metres; so close that the sea sprays the vineyards with salt.
Viticulture on Pico Island is as a battle between the sea and the Pico Mountain. In the Azores Wine Company's vineyards, the salt water seeps underground and mixes with the fresh rainwater in a brackish combination that the vines’ roots drink from. Currently, the recovery of the Azores' indigenous grape varieties, located mostly on Pico Island, make up the typical profile of Azores wines.
