ONE-OF-A-KIND TERROIR IN THE WORLD

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. Completely unique, the almost extinct Terrantez do Pico variety reveals itself with surprising freshness, minerality and salinity. The white Arinto dos Açores and Verdelho O Original monovariety from the Rare Grapes Collection, represented more than half of production. They also innovated with its Volcanic Series of red and rosé Azores wines.