Text José Silva

Pico is a charming island, one of the nine islands of the Azores archipelago. With a volcanic origin, everywhere you can see those brown and black rocks, revealing its origins in the volcanic eruptions that happened there thousands of millions of years ago. Those rocks are used for many purposes, including house building, and for those low walls that shape a great part of the island’s landscape, that are used to grow fig trees and vineyards. So, the small brick walls protect the plants from the strong, sometimes even salty, winds, and concentrate the heat during the day, that way, at night, they keep a stable temperature for the plants.

These structures, unique and of great landscape beauty, the result of human work, and known as “currais” or “curraletas”, were in 2004, classified as human heritage. And they are, along with whale watching, the wines of Pico and the excellent local food, a set that appeals and brings more and more people to the island. And that has also got, as a natural billboard, the majestic Pico Mountain an old volcano 2.350 meters high, the highest mountain in Portugal.

Wines from Pico are even better, nowadays applying modern technology and much better work in the vineyards, but keeping them very typical, using local grape varieties. Mainly white wines, very fresh and mineral, with a fantastic acidity as well, but also some reds that already show themselves very interesting. And also sweet wines, a great tradition in Pico, today more polite and modern, very good.

But in Pico there is a great tradition, now open to the public in general and specially to tourism, which is visiting the small cellars. There, the owners are used to receiving friends and guests to taste the wines and traditional food, mainly the tasty fish broth, which is really a fish stew, but without potato, which will be boiled and served separately. A variety of fish is boiled with some spices, a part of the broth is going to soak into thick slices of traditional bread, and boiled potatoes are served separately as well as the traditional vilão (villain) sauce.
Then, in tiny cups, the fish broth is served, very hot. As dessert we enjoy a traditional ring-shape cookie, slightly sweet, Pico cheese, still with fish broth for company.

Nowadays, many of those wine producers are receiving visitors in their small wine cellars, for a nice price, showing them the beauty of the buildings, the greater part still with no electricity. And they offer their wines and their tidbits for visitors to taste. Once a year, with the regional government’s support, “Taste in Adegas” takes place, organized by Adeliaçor, with the partnership of the Hotel and Touristic School of S. Miguel, and the goal is to show those small wine cellars and let tourists enjoy a tradition that they don’t want to lose.

Wines from Pico have been improving more and more each year, with white wines at a great level now, where freshness and acidity are highlighted , full of refinement but with character and each one’s personality.

And even names not so well known as “Curraleta”, “Buraca” or “Cancela do Porco” have revealed themselves wonderful and, most of all, gastronomic, doing great pairings with most traditional dishes of the island, as grilled limpets, octopus stew, the excellency of grilled tuna, cellars fish broth, Portuguese steak and chops of irreprehensible cow meat and, of course, Azorean pineapple, unique in the world, but also some more refined dishes made with regional products, like “veja” tartar and cold beetroot soup, or pecan crusty lily and mushroom ragout.

Fortified wines from Pico, “Lajido” and “Czar”, are always at a great level, now with the company of a wonderful “Curral Atlantis”, wines with great refinement, smooth citric aromas well balanced, honey notes and that vibrant acidity that makes them desirable and that matches very well with a variety of desserts and even with the excellency of the Azorean pineapple.

It was a visit where we discovered the new reality of the Pico Island and the Azores in general, with modern tourism for those in search of paradisiac places with awesome landscapes and a fabulous and rich sea, in a destiny with great ecologic quality, thanks to a nice work to preserve the patrimony and cultural values. From which, wine production is one of the most important parts, with international recognition.
We hope to return there next year.

Contacts
Rua do Pasteleiro s/n
Angústias
9900-069 Horta
Tel: 292 200 360
Mobile: 913 397 808
Email: adeliacor@sapo.pt
Site: www.adeliacor.org