It’s finally here. After nearly half a year of waiting, which included tastings and meetings, finalizing paperwork, and organizing shipping logistics, I finally got to pop some corks on new discoveries I have been waiting to try for a very long time — and it did not disappoint.
The Açores (Azores) islands located nearly 1,000 miles from the coast of Portugal in the cold Atlantic Ocean is not a place that should grow world-class wine. The cold winds, high humidity (which can cause fungal diseases on the grape), and proximity to a volcano often covered with snow, is not conducive to modern winemaking. Bananas and pineapples are better suited to the fertile soils and occupy a much larger footprint than wine grapes, and only three of the nine islands in the Azores have wine regulation to speak of. Despite its long history of grape-growing (wine grapes were first planted in the 1440s) a meager amount is produced. Most wines are consumed locally, certainly not shipped halfway around the world to another isolated island chain in the middle of the Pacific — even though the Azores are often referred to as “The Hawaii of Europe.”
So why do it? Why strive to make high-value, quality-driven wines in harsh conditions, that few outside of Portugal know about? The answer is simple: It’s worth it.
I tasted two fantastic bottlings from Adega do Vulcão (The Winery of the Volcano), a new project by an Italian couple who fell in love with the island of Pico and brought back with them renowned winemaker Alberto Antonini. Antonini holds winemaking degrees from prestigious schools in three different countries and is constantly cited as one of the most influential wine consultants of this generation. He encourages emerging winemaking regions to feature traditional indigenous grapes and pure, unobtrusive winemaking techniques, which is exactly his approach to these wines from Pico, the most highly regarded winemaking island of the Azores.
ADEGA DO VULCÃO, AMEIXÂMBAR
A blend of two local varieties: Arinto dos Açores an Terrantez do Pico from two distinct Azores islands Faial and Pico. This waters the mouth with bracingly tart fruit and a salty tang reminiscent of the cool Atlantic sea spray.
The winery’s motif of texturally-complex, mineral-driven, pure wines that highlight a place rather than fruit, is on full display here. Ideal for island weather and cuisine; only a few thousand bottles made.
Cost: $48/bottle
ADEGA DO VULCÃO, PÉ DO MONTE
An ambitious expression of the otherwise humble Arinto grape. This wine is the most expensive of the releases. Expect the same mineral-driven bite as Ameixambar, but with more alcoholic warmth and body. The grapes come from vineyards 70-80 years old covered with lajido soil, lava crust that formed over centuries following the eruptions of Vulcão do Capelinhos (the volcano the winery was named after). The most famous eruption started in the early hours of Sept. 27, 1957, and rocked the island with earthquakes for more than a year. The then-senator of Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy, proposed authorization to help these environmental refugees of Pico, a move that saw more than half the population emigrate to the United States.
Cost: $60/bottle
Chris Ramelb is an award-winning master sommelier, and director of education and restaurant sales manager of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Hawaii. Watch him on the “Wine & …” podcast, and follow him on Instagram (@masterisksomm).
