Açores

Pico, Graciosa and Terceira islands have a long tradition of licoroso (late harvest/fortified) production, but the archipelago is fast gaining a reputation for salty, powerfully mineral, dry whites made from three local varieties: Arinto dos Açores, Verdelho and Terrantez do Pico. Whipped by Atlantic winds and waves, vines are protected by ‘currais’ - dry stone walls - hewn from the very lava beds in whose cracks they take root. Less common, reds and rosés similarly bear the stamp of the maritime and volcanic terroir.