WINE ROUTE

Rooted in the unique characteristics of the Azores’ volcanic soils, viticulture has flourished in the archipelago since the islands were first settled. The need for subsistence, the ingenuity, and the ability of the Azorean people to integrate into the inherited landscape and derive sustenance from it gave rise to a cultural practice that is now experiencing rapid growth and was recognized in 2004 by UNESCO as a Cultural Landscape of Humanity, in the vast lava fields of the island of Pico.

The Wine Route offers the chance to experience the history of this tradition, spanning nearly five centuries, through manor houses and farmhouses, wineries, cooperatives, small ports, windmills, corrals, drying racks, wells, festivals, and family traditions, as well as to savor its sophisticated modernity with wine producers from the three islands bearing the Denomination of Origin seal (Pico, Graciosa, and Biscoitos, on Terceira) and from the newest production regions (São Miguel, Faial, and Santa Maria).