Adega do Vulcão
Adega do Vulcão, or winery of the volcano, has its roots in the tragic 1957 eruption on Faial, in the Azores Islands. That eruption decimated the northwestern end of the island including the area around the village of Capelo. With it, the island’s rich viticultural history was destroyed, until recently.
In 2015, Gianni and Cinzia Mancassola began buying land around their home in the village of Capelo with the intent of restoring it to its former viticultural heritage. With the help of a local agronomist, they started replanting the first vineyards in Capelo since the 1957 eruption. Their focus is entirely on native varietals mostly Arinto dos Açores.
Farming is organic with 7 hectares under vines (3.5 producing in the 2022 harvest) with plans to buy more land for conversion. Organic certification inspections start in late-2022. Viticulture is overseen by André Ribeiro, local viticulturist and enologist and owner of Entre Pedras. Fruit from these vineyards is used in the Ameixambar wine, a blend of Arinto from Faial and Pico Islands. Winemaking is overseen by renown enologist, Alberto Antonini.
In 2016 Gianni and Cinzia began buying old vineyards on Pico Island, wanting to protect and showcase the terroir of both Pico and Faial. They now own 6 hectares of old vines on Pico in the Criação Vineyard UNESCO World Heritage Site. Current vine age range is between 70 and 90 years. This is a gently sloped basalt rock bed that provides fully matured grapes with a lot of structure, flavor, and aromas. Great natural acidity is a hallmark of Arinto dos Açores and of course, being next to the sea, salinity is present. These vineyards are used in the production of the Ameixambar blend, as well as the Pé do Monte (foot of the mountain) reserve wine.
Adega do Vulcão also produces a single-vineyard wine from a 3.5 hectare parcel on Pico Island that has been owned and farmed by the Brum family sine the late 1700s. The wine is called, Terra Brum.
What began as a passion for land recovery on Faial has spawned one of Portugal’s most interesting artisan wine projects. I am honored to represent these wines in the United States.
Wine Details
Ameixambar Arinto dos Açores 2020
