The regional secretary for the environment said that including the Pico vineyards as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004 and its distinction as a protected area in 1996 were “decisive factors” in its recovery.
Speaking on July 2, 2004, at the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the elevation of the Pico vineyard landscape as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, Alonso Miguel said that the area had been preserved for the “excellence of wines in this area.”
The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action highlighted the support systems created by the regional governments over two decades for the production and maintenance of vines through the Prorural program (now PEPAC) and POSEI, which in 2023 totaled 1.9 million euros on the island of Pico.
Alonso Miguel also recalled the support for maintaining traditional landscapes, which in 2023 “amounted to close to 1.8 million euros”.

In 2024, 416 beneficiaries on the island were granted financial incentives for the maintenance of traditional landscapes, aimed at maintaining 869 hectares of vineyards, which “represents a very significant evolution for an area recovered seven times greater than the area in production in 2004, which was only around 120 hectares”, according to the minister.
“In total, since the creation of the program in 2004, which is now managed by the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action, around 14.5 million euros have been allocated in support to beneficiaries on the island of Pico,” he said.
According to Alonso Miguel, “Fortunately, it has been possible to reverse the trend of abandoning the landscape,” and there is an “increasing number of young people starting out as producers, with consistent projects and larger areas”, which “leads to diversity and an increase in the quality of Pico’s wines.”
“The landscape of Pico Island’s vineyard culture is not just a testimony to human resilience and ingenuity. It is also a symbol of the cultural identity that makes us all proud, an extraordinary asset for the socio-economic development of the island of Pico and the Azores,” she said.
For her part, the mayor of Madalena, Catarina Manito, recalled that the Pico vineyard was the 13th site in Portugal to be awarded the highest distinction by UNESCO.
She stressed that the designation as a world heritage site “added value to the lava fields where some of the best wines in the country are produced.”
Catarina Manito believes the vineyards are “an integral part of the island’s people.” They have made it possible to “greatly enhance the territory and the people” – the activity “occupies an essential part of the economy of Madalena.”
The mayor pointed out that also with funding from Vitis, a scheme to support the restructuring and conversion of vineyards, there has been “a great recovery of vineyards that had been abandoned, as well as the installation of new companies and the reinvigoration of existing ones”.
Catarina Manito also highlighted the awards “won all over the world” for the wines produced in the municipality, which have also made a name for themselves.
Wine growing in Pico probably began with the arrival of settlers on the island in the 15th century.
The vineyard landscape covers an area of 987 hectares, surrounded by a buffer zone of 1,924 hectares.
It comprises a strip of land that partially covers the north, south, and west coasts, with the Lajido da Criação Velha and the Lajido de Santa Luzia as references.

In Diário dos Açores, Osvaldo Cabral – director

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