“Great wine is never only about what is in the glass. It is also about landscape, memory, culture, and the people who transform a place into an experience.”

In a country celebrated for its vineyards, historic wine estates, and internationally acclaimed wine regions, one of the most prestigious distinctions in Portuguese wine tourism has traveled to the middle of the Atlantic.

The Azores Wine Company has been awarded the title of Best Wine Tourism Project in Portugal by APENO – the Portuguese Association of Wine Tourism. The award was presented during the organization’s annual gala, held at Quinta Condes de Valadares in Loures, recognizing projects that offer the most distinctive and memorable visitor experiences across Portugal.

For many observers, the distinction represents more than recognition of a successful business venture. It is also an acknowledgment of the remarkable transformation that has taken place on Pico Island over the past decade, where abandoned vineyards have been restored and an ancient wine culture has been reimagined for the twenty-first century.

According to Judith Martin, Director of Wine Tourism at Azores Wine Company, the award reflects years of dedication by the entire team.

“This recognition highlights the effort and work that have been carried out by everyone involved since the beginning,” she noted. “It fills us with pride, especially because developing a project of this scale on a small and distant island presents challenges that are considerably greater than elsewhere.”

The story of the Azores Wine Company began in 2014 through the vision of António Maçanita and Filipe Rocha. Their ambition extended beyond producing exceptional wines. They sought to recover dozens of hectares of abandoned vineyards, preserve indigenous grape varieties, and reposition the Azores among the world’s most distinctive wine-producing regions.

What began as an ambitious viticultural project evolved into something much larger.

In 2021, that vision expanded into a comprehensive wine tourism destination featuring a winery, tasting room, boutique accommodations, and a fine dining restaurant. Within only a few years, the project became one of the defining experiences not only of Pico Island but of the Azores and Portugal as a whole.

Its success is inseparable from its setting.

The winery stands within the UNESCO World Heritage Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture, a unique environment where generations of Pico residents constructed thousands of volcanic stone walls—known as currais—to protect vines from Atlantic winds and salt spray. The result is one of the most extraordinary cultural landscapes in Europe, where black basalt, green vineyards, and the blue Atlantic merge into a singular expression of human perseverance and adaptation.

“There is a commitment throughout the entire project to provide the finest possible experience while remaining in harmony with the unique landscape that surrounds us,” explains Filipe Rocha.

Attention to detail defines every aspect of the enterprise. The architecture of the winery itself, created through a collaboration between SAMI-Arquitectos and DRDH Architects, received international recognition with the prestigious RIBA International Award for Excellence 2024.

Wine tastings focus not only on the wines themselves but on the extraordinary story behind them—the volcanic terroir, the native grape varieties, and the generations of Pico families who shaped the landscape by hand. Visitors quickly discover that they are not simply tasting wine; they are experiencing centuries of history embedded in stone and sea.

The experience continues at Latitude, the company’s restaurant, which recently earned its first Repsol Guide Sun Award. Under the direction of Chef Rui Batista, guests are introduced to contemporary Azorean cuisine inspired by local ingredients and traditions. Carefully curated wine pairings, overseen by Head Sommelier Daniela Dutra, include both Azores Wine Company labels and selections from fellow volcanic wine regions around the world.

For those wishing to immerse themselves fully in the experience, the property also offers boutique accommodations integrated into the winery itself. The concept draws inspiration from Pico’s traditional wine cellars, where wine was produced, shared, and often accompanied by simple lodging. Reimagined for modern travelers, the accommodations combine contemporary comfort with spectacular views of vineyards, ocean, and volcanic landscapes.

The result is a seamless experience where visitors can taste award-winning wines, explore one of the world’s most distinctive vineyard landscapes, enjoy innovative island cuisine, and spend the night surrounded by the very vines that make it all possible.

Today, Azores Wine Company stands as a symbol of what can happen when heritage and innovation meet. It demonstrates that even in a remote Atlantic archipelago, world-class projects can emerge by embracing local identity rather than abandoning it.

This national recognition confirms something many visitors have already discovered: some of Portugal’s most extraordinary wine experiences are no longer found only in the Douro or Alentejo. They are also found on a volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic, where stone walls, ocean winds, and human determination continue to produce something truly unique.

For the Azores, the award is more than a tourism distinction. It is another reminder that excellence can flourish far from the centers of power and population—and that sometimes the most remarkable stories begin at the edge of the sea.

Translated and adapted from a story on Diário Insular, Paulo Viveiros, director, Photos from Azores Wine Company