Azores Wine Company

Portugal
Written By Expert Marketeers
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Azores Wine Company

Pico, Azores, Portugal

 
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Widely regarded as one of the most dynamic young winemakers in Portugal, António Maçanita crafts wines from the Azores archipelago to Alentejo, each one capturing the essence of the regional terroir and traditions.

The Azores Wine Company was founded in April 2014, by partners António Maçanita, Filipe Rocha and Insula Vinus, Lda. They have been instrumental in the promotion of Azorean wine and gastronomy. In 2010, António Maçanita began, along with the S. Miguel Agricultural Development Services, work on the Terrantez do Pico grape variety. Unique in the world, this nearly extinct grape reveals a surprising freshness, mineral quality and salinity.

In addition to founding and owning Azores Wine Co. and FitaPreta, António is a consultant winemaker for numerous other wineries in Portugal through his company Wine ID. His first harvest experience was at four years old, playing amongst the vines while grapes were being picked. He's gone on to work in wineries in Napa, Australia, and Bordeaux, before returning to Portugal to change the landscape of modern Portuguese wine.

António was named 2018 Winemaker of the Year in Revista de Vinhos Magazine, as well as awarded the 2018 Singularity Award by Revista Grandes Escolhas. And Azores Wine Company was named Company of the Year at the 2021 Grandes Escolhas Awards. The company's winery, Adega Pico, also won the BigMat National Prize for Architecture in Portugal 2023, and a RIBA International Award for Excellence 2024. Most recently António was named Winemaker of the Year in the Tim Atkin Portugal 2026 Special Report.

Featured
Rosé Vulcânico
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Rosé Vulcânico
from CA$37.00

Azores Wine Co. Rose Vulcanico Rosé

Azores Wine Co.
Rosé Vulcânico

This pale pink comes from Portugal's Pico Island, in the Azores archipelago, and its pure volcanic, black basaltic, scrabbly rocky soils. This blends 5-30+ year old saborinho, agronomica, aragones, touriga nacional and many other co-planted varieties across 13 vineyards, sustainably grown in wee plots (2 to 6 bush trained vines per square), planted in 1991 at sea level. This is a partial saignée from António Maçanita's Tinto Vulcanico, along with partial whole bunch, and including some cofermentation. Stainless steel preserves the crisp fruit, and no maceration created the pale peach hue. Two 5000L stainless barrels were lain on their sides to give more lees / wine contact and texture on the palate. Perfumed rose petal, wild strawberry, and spring raspberry leap across the palate, brisk with juicy pink grapefruit acidity, and lashed with marine salinity. Fresh, energetic, and friendly, this is a welcome choice this summer.

Read about Azores Wine Co.

Vintage: 2025
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 12
Price per Bottle: $37
Style: Still

Region: Azores
Appellation: IG Açores
Country: Portugal

Grape: Blend
Colour: Rosé
Vegan: No
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes

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Arinto dos Açores sur Lies 3 Colheitas
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Arinto dos Açores sur Lies 3 Colheitas
from CA$86.00

Arinto dos Acores

Azores Wine Co.
Arinto dos Açores sur Lies 3 Colheitas

Arinto dos Açores is a unique grape native to the Azores, unrelated to mainland Portugal's Arinto. These vines are planted in the rock cracks at the foothills of the volcanic mountain, almost touching the ocean. The vineyards are protected from the strong salty marine breezes by rock walls known as currais. The 3 Colheitas refers to the second pressings of 3 colheitas (2022, 2023, and 2024), yielding a concentrated and complexed multi vintage wine. Each year was whole bunch pressed and native fermented in 600-1000L horizontal stainless tanks and used French barrels, aging sur lies, without bâtonnage.

Positively textural, with a buzzy underlay supporting lemon pith and peel, white grapefruit, and ample lingering salinity. A fascinating exercise in aging this special Açores grape.

“The NV Arinto dos Açores Sur Lies 3 Colheitas is the second edition of this wine, which they produce in low-yielding years. In this case, it has 15% from 2022, 35% from 2023 and 50% from 2025, always from the second pressing. It has a clean nose, with notes of white fruit and flowers, textured and with the marine and saline sensation. It feels young and balanced, with a moderate 12% alcohol, seamless and with nice integration (some of the wines are aged together in a solera) and with a long, clean and slightly chalky sensation in the finish. 5,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2025. Drink 2025-2032.” - 94 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, November 20, 2025

Read more about Azores Wine Co.

Vintage: NV
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 6
Price per Bottle: $86
Style: Still

Region: Azores
Appellation: Pico DO
Country: Portugal

Grape: Arinto dos Azores
Colour: White
Vegan: No
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes

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Verdelho O Original
Verdelho O Original
from CA$68.00

Azores Wine Co.

Azores Wine Co.
Verdelho O Original

This is Verdelho o Original, aka Verdelho do Pico, indigenous to the Azores and Madeira. This is a different species than the Douro grape often called Verdelho, which is the Portuguese name for Godello. From volcanic basalt soils, and grapes 15 – 35 years old, this rarely seen grape was whole bunch pressed, and native fermented and aged in a mix of stainless steel barrels and used oak barrels, with 8 months lees contact.

Herbal and textural, with layers of white grapefruit, meadow grass, zesty lemon pith and peel, and fine lees, all rinsed with ample marine salinity. Unique and characterful.

“The 2024 Verdelho o Original, the varietal that started it all, is a little riper than the previous year, with a wine with 12.5% alcohol. It was a year of mildew and a very rainy winter, which caused very low yields in Verdelho. It has a bright golden color, good concentration but with balance, and it's clean and precise, crystalline and very tasty, with a clear salty twist in the finish, pretty much the signature of the year. The low-yielding years have a little more part in barrel but always used barrels that are quite neutral. They are releasing the 2024s six months later, to give them a little more time with lees before bottling. 5,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2025. Drink 2025-2030.” - 92 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, November 20, 2025

Read more about Azores Wine Co.

Vintage: 2024
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 6
Price per Bottle: $68
Style: Still

Region: Azores
Appellation: IG Açores
Country: Portugal

Grape: Verdelho o Original
Colour: White
Vegan: No
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes

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Arinto dos Açores
Arinto dos Açores
from CA$66.00

Arinto dos Acores

Azores Wine Co.
Arinto dos Açores

Arinto dos Açores is a unique grape native to the Azores, unrelated to mainland Portugal's Arinto. These vines are planted in the rock cracks at the foothills of the volcanic mountain, almost touching the ocean. The vineyards are protected from the strong salty marine breezes by rock walls known as currais. This was native fermented in horizontal stainless barrels, where it remained on lees for 8 months.

White grapefruit pith and peel, crunchy green apple is lit with energy and lingering long with salinity. What a wine of place.

“The bright golden-colored 2024 Arinto dos Açores is a little riper than the 2023 and has more depth. There's more Arinto in Pico than Verdelho, with more older vines. It was a low-yielding year with good acidity, and the wine has gained in texture and depth, with notes of yellow fruit. It comes in at 12% alcohol with 7.2 grams of acidity, which give it a vibrant mouthfeel. 9,400 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2025. Drink 2025-2031.” - 93 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, November 20, 2025.

Read more about Azores Wine Co.

Vintage: 2024
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 6
Price per Bottle: $66
Style: Still

Region: Azores
Appellation: Pico DO
Country: Portugal

Grape: Arinto dos Azores
Colour: White
Vegan: No
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes

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Isabella a Proibida Rosé
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Isabella a Proibida Rosé
from CA$37.00

Azores Wine Co. Rose

Azores Wine Co.
Isabella a Proibida Rosé

The proibida (prohibition) of this wine necessitating the pink line crossing out words here because this is an old vine/vineyard blend of Isabella, a hybrid grape that is not allowed for quality wine in the EU, and certainly looked down upon in the Azores and Portugal. However, winemaker Antonio Maçanita wanted to pay tribute to these old Isabella vines, once in abundance and with 200 years history on this volcanic island, before phylloxera ravaged through. From vineyards close to the sea, protected from the strong salty ocean winds by walls of rock known as currais, the slightly pressed grapes saw 3-6 hours of skin time before a native ferment and short rest in stainless.

Watermelon candy, pear blossoms are lifted with rhubarb acidity, sailing this to a sour crunchy plum finish. Salinity is rinsed throughout, leaving this light (11.5%) pink fresh and clean and ready for food pairings (think tapas).

Read more about Azores Wine Co.

Vintage: NV
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 12
Price per Bottle: $37
Style: Still

Region: Azores
Country: Portugal

Grape: Isabella
Colour: Rosé
Vegan: No
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes

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Erupção Vulcânica
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Erupção Vulcânica
from CA$60.00

Arinto dos Acores erupcao vulcanica antonio macanita

Azores Wine Co.
Erupção Vulcânica

From the 2020 vintage (local laws don’t allow the vintage to be on the label for this rogue wine), this blends Malvarisco, Bastardo, Rufete, Saborinho, Agronómica, Aragonês, Castelão, Touriga Nacional, and others from the volcanic soils of Pico. This was 30% whole cluster, and native fermented for 1 month on skins before aging in a split of stainless and barrels for 30 months.

Pouring a very light hue, this charms with perfumed cherry blossoms, wild strawberry, subtle scrubby herbs, and ample flake salt woven throughout. Tannins are lithe, giving the slightest tug to the sides of this lifted, fresh red. A real charmer, especially with a slight chill. 3400 bottles.

"The new NV Erupção Vulcânica was produced with grapes found in the old vines: Malvarisco, Bastardo, Rufete, Saborinho, Agronómica, Aragonês, Castelão, Touriga Nacional, etc. They've planted Malvarisco, Bastardo, Rufete and Saborinho, but they have very little, so they have to mix different vintages to achieve some volume. This is a blend of 2018, 2019 and 2021 that spent a few months in barrel before being kept in stainless steel. It is a pale, bright red, with red berry aromas and a medium-bodied palate with moderate alcohol of 11% and very good acidity. It's light and fresh, easy to drink. 6,666 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2023. Drink Date: 2024-2028.” - 91 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, August 22, 2024

Read more about Azores Wine Co.

Vintage: NV
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 6
Price per Bottle: $60
Style: Still

Region: Azores
Appellation: Vinho Tinto
Country: Portugal

Grape: Blend
Colour: Red
Vegan: No
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes

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Branco Vulcânico
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Branco Vulcânico
from CA$42.00

Azores Wine Co. Branco Vulcanico Vulcânico Macanita Maçanita

Azores Wine Co.
Branco Vulcânico

This grows on the island of Pico, in the Azores archipelago, off Portugal, and its pure volcanic, black basaltic, scrabbly rocky soils. This blend of 85% Arinto de Azores (unrelated to mainland Portugal's Arinto) and 15% Verdejo was whole bunch pressed, and fermented in 600-1000L stainless barrels, laid down on their sides for a rest and bâtonnage prior to bottling. Light on its feet, this medium-bodied white is fresh with wild melon, subtle spice, pear blossom over a cushion of lees, finishing with a mouthwatering saline wash. Lovely glimpse of the volcanic, marine-trinsic Azores.

"The 2019 Branco Vulcânico is mostly Arinto dos Açores, with 15% Verdelho. It is unoaked and comes in at 11.6% alcohol. Bright and a little mouth puckering, this is another nice performance—and for a bit less money. It is just beautiful, and it holds its own pretty well with the regular Arinto, which seems fairly similar in style. Elegant, fresh and lively, it dances across the tongue with a light touch in terms of weight, but it enlivens the palate with its acidity. There's a hint of spice on the finish. It's probably the least concentrated of the whites this issue, but its lively demeanor makes it enticing. This blend is a relatively good value point in the lineup. There were 19,154 bottles produced. Drink 2021-2029.” - 91 points, Mark Squires, Wine Advocate, January 29, 2021.

Read about Azores Wine Co.

Vintage: 2021
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 6
Price per Bottle: $42
Style: Still

Region: Azores
Appellation: IG Açores
Country: Portugal

Grape: Arinto de Azores, Verdejo
Colour: White
Vegan: No
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes

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Copy%2520of%252036_Azores%2520Wine%2520Co._Tinto%2520Vulcanico.png (Copy)
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Tinto Vulcânico
from CA$37.00

Azores Wine Co. Tinto Vulcanico Vulcânico Macanita Maçanita

Azores Wine Co.
Tinto Vulcânico

This old vine blend of Aragonês, Agronómica, Castelão, Malvarisco, Merlot, Touriga Nacional, Saborinho, Syrah and others comes from 13 vineyards 5-30+ years old. After whole bunch pressing, this was fermented and aged in stainless. Wild and saline and fresh with red currants, herbal plum, pink peppercorn spice, sapid florals, woven with gentle waves of reduction to a fresh finish. Tannins are soft, and acidity is bright. Serve with a chill.

Read about Azores Wine Co.

Vintage: 2019
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 6
Price per Bottle: $37
Style: Still

Region: Azores
Appellation: IG Açores
Country: Portugal

Grape: Blend
Colour: Red
Vegan: No
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes

Read more →
Isabella a Proibida
Isabella a Proibida
from CA$42.00

Azores Wine Co.

Azores Wine Co.
Isabella a Proibida

The proibida (prohibition) of this wine necessitating the red line crossing out words here because this is an old vine/vineyard blend of Isabella, a hybrid grape that is not allowed for quality wine in the EU, and certainly looked down upon in the Azores and Portugal. However, winemaker Antonio Maçanita wanted to pay tribute to these old Isabella vines, once in abundance and with 200 years history on this volcanic island, before phylloxera ravaged through. This was fermented and aged for a short time in stainless.

Foxy, green and hybrid herbaceous, this weaves early raspberry, crunchy cherry, mint, and thorns across a brisk, bright palate, lightly framed with sticky tannins through a saline finish. Certainly unique.

"The 2023 a Proibida was produced with Isabella grapes, a hybrid not allowed in some parts but allowed in others. It doesn't carry the vintage as such (it's not allowed) but has lot number LIPR3, which shows it's a wine from 2023 (Lot Isabella Proibida Rosé 2023). This used to be a red, but they changed it to a rosé. It has bright strawberry juice aromas, with a touch of caramel, typical of this hybrid grape. It has only 11% alcohol, high acidity, very good freshness and a bitter twist in the finish. It's dry, but there's a sweet-like feeling (bubble gum) on the palate. It's not a great wine, but it is quaffable and fun. 2,080 bottles were filled in January 2024. Drink Date: 2024-2027.” - 89 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, August 22, 2024

Read more about Azores Wine Co.

Vintage: NV
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 6
Price per Bottle: $42
Style: Still

Region: Azores
Country: Portugal

Grape: Isabella
Colour: Red
Vegan: No
Organic: No
Biodynamic: No
Natural: No
Low Intervention: Yes

Read more →

Address:  Rua dos Biscoitos, nº3 São Mateus, 9950-542 Madalena - Pico, Portugal
Website : http://azoreswinecompany.com/pt/

 

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