Certified vineyard area has expanded more than fivefold in a decade, while the number of brands, commercial references and laboratory analyses continues to grow. The first Azorean Viticulture Forum and Certified Wine Competition will now bring the sector together on Pico to consider identity, climate, innovation and international markets.
There are few agricultural landscapes where producing wine appears as improbable as it does in the Azores. Vines grow against Atlantic winds, volcanic soils and an unpredictable climate; on Pico, generations built walls of black stone to protect plants from salt and weather, turning apparent adversity into one of the archipelago’s most recognizable cultural landscapes. Today, according to Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food António Ventura, Azorean viticulture is experiencing what he calls a period of “renaissance” and regeneration—a transformation increasingly visible not only in the vineyards, but also in certification, wine quality and the number of labels reaching the market.
The figures presented by Ventura are striking. By September 2026, 107 commercial brands and 206 commercial references were registered with the Azores Vine and Wine Institute (IVVA), which he described as a new historical high. The certified vineyard area under the Biscoitos, Graciosa and Pico Protected Designations of Origin and the Azores Protected Geographical Indication has risen from 216.6 hectares in 2016 to 1,204.53 hectares in 2026. At the Regional Oenology Laboratory, the number of physicochemical analyses increased from 2,180 in 2016 to 5,231, an indication, in the Regional Government’s interpretation, of greater attention to control and quality.
Investment is accompanying that expansion. Twenty-five applications have been submitted through VITIS for the restructuring of 7.82 hectares of vineyards, while 22 applications under PEPAC represent approximately €1.3 million in investment. For Ventura, the numbers reflect confidence among growers, wineries, cooperatives and private companies in a sector that remains difficult by its very nature. Speaking at the presentation of the new forum, he described wine production as an art continually exposed to uncertainty—from pests and weather to climate change—but argued that geography itself can become an advantage when Azorean wine is presented internationally. Radio Pico
That evolving industry will gather in Madalena, Pico, from October 29 through November 1 for the first Azorean Viticulture Forum and the first Certified Wines of the Azores Competition. Under the theme “Atlantic Wines: Identity, Innovation and Future,” the forum will bring together viticulture and oenology specialists, wine-tourism professionals, journalists and representatives of hospitality, restaurants, distribution and retail. Discussions will range from producing wine in volcanic island environments and adapting to climate change to traditional grape varieties, innovation, sustainability, wine tourism and access to national and international markets. AICEP and ViniPortugal will also participate, while training initiatives are envisioned in marketing, branding, distribution, consumer trends and international promotion. Radio Pico
The competition on October 31 adds another dimension. Its inaugural edition will evaluate still white wines and fortified wines certified under the Biscoitos, Graciosa and Pico designations or the Azores geographical indication, with awards presented November 1. The forum is intended to take place every two years on different wine-producing islands, while the competition will become an annual traveling event. Both initiatives also form part of the commemorative context surrounding 50 years of Azorean Autonomy. The gathering coincides with Madalena’s broader first Festival das Vindimas, a five-week celebration designed to bring wine production, tourism, culture and community together on Pico. Radio Pico
Yet the most revealing number may be the transformation from 216.6 to more than 1,200 hectares of certified vineyard in only ten years. It suggests something deeper than a successful season or fashionable product. Wine is increasingly becoming a meeting place between Azorean agriculture and contemporary ideas about landscape, heritage, science, tourism and added economic value.
For centuries, Azorean winegrowers confronted stone because there was no alternative. They broke it, carried it and built walls from it so that something fragile could grow inside.
The renaissance of Azorean wine may ultimately rest on the same principle: turning the apparent limitations of island geography into the very qualities that make its wines impossible to produce anywhere else.
Based on a story in Diário Insular – José Lourenço, director. The photo is also from DI.