Acores - Azores Wine Company

The Azores Wine company was founded on April 3, 2014, by partners António Maçanita, Filipe Rocha, and Insula Vinus, Lda. It's the story of three people deeply connected to the Azores, who met towards the end of the first decade of the 21st century, brought together by a passion to which they dedicate a significant part of their lives, namely wine and gastronomy.

(c) Grandesescolhas - António Maçanita en Filipe Rocha, founders and owners of AWC

Among the various projects they are involved in are wine production on Pico Island, the recovery of an endangered grape variety, and the promotion of Azorean wine and gastronomy. In 2010, António Maçanita, together with the S. Miguel Agricultural Development Services, began winemaking with the Terrantez do Pico grape variety. Unique in the world, this nearly extinct grape variety reveals a surprising freshness, mineral quality, and salinity. Small productions of this wine, steeped in identity and authenticity, travel to various countries and are available at some of the finest wine shops and top restaurants.

 

Then, in 2013, a joint venture on Pico Island, established by Fita Preta Wines and Insula Vinus, was established to produce a wine based on another indigenous grape variety of the region: Arinto dos Açores. The teamwork, friendship, and shared vision to restore the Azores, especially Pico Island, to its former glory, inspired them to embark on a new project. Thus, the Azores Wine Company was born, and in its first year of production, 2014, it already produced 10,000 bottles. The white wines Arinto dos Açores and Verdelho O Original from the Rare Grapes Collection represent more than half of the production. However, the red and rosé wines are also quite surprising. The first sparkling wines from the Azores are also part of this story. This was created in 2011 by António Maçanita in the Terrantez do Pico project (on S. Miguel Island), and in 2014, the first sparkling wine from Arinto dos Açores, already under the Azores Wine Company banner. Finally, there is work already underway in the field of fortified wines, seeking to recreate the famous Pico wines that traveled the world over 400 years ago. The Azores Wine Company is restoring approximately 100 hectares of vineyards on Pico Island and will soon become the largest private producer in the Azores.

 

Besides the vineyards themselves, the company is associated with approximately twenty local winemakers. In the medium term, the company will produce approximately 150,000 bottles annually, highlighting the excellence of the region's indigenous grape varieties, namely Arinto dos Açores, Terrantez do Pico, Verdelho, and Saborinho. Rosé and red production will also be important, as the Azorean terroir offers them a fresh profile that meets emerging global tastes.