Entre Pedras
Entre Pedras, “between stones” is the dream of two friends André Ribeiro and Ricardo Pinto. They aim to show the terroir of Pico in the Azores Islands in its unvarnished purity. Volcanic mountains, sea, salt, stone. Surreal viticulture between the stones their ancestors first laid more than 500 years ago.
André’s roots are deep on Pico, as a multi-generational native of the island. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agronomy with a master’s in viticulture and enology. He worked with António Macanita at Azores Wine Company from 2017 to 2021. André also serves as the viticulturist for Adega do Vulcão and their consultant winemaker. Ricardo focuses on sales and business operations.
During his time working with Macanita at Azores Wine Company, André started Entre Pedras using 1.5 hectares of 90-year-old vines his family owns on Pico. The vineyard has a natural cave beneath it, where André bottle ages some wine. The first vintage was 2019. André and his family have longstanding relationships established with local growers which enable them to purchase additional fruit to support production with the aim of purchasing more vineyards over time.
Arinto dos Açores is the dominant grape varietal grown on Pico with a multi-century history on the island. Vineyards were first organized generations ago, purposefully planted along the coast to escape the cloud cover consistently surrounding the volcano’s mountain peak. Pico Mountain is Portugal’s tallest peak. Vines are rooted in “lajido”, lava crust beds formed over centuries of eruptions and surrounded by stone hedges. All vineyard work is entirely manual. Yields are low, averaging 1,000 tons per hectare.
Total production for the 2021 vintage was 7,200 bottles of passionate, artisan craftsmanship. They believe fully in their terroir and consider themselves stewards of it as well as ambassadors to bring you to Pico through the experience of their wines. I believed instantly in the authenticity of what André and Ricardo are doing and am excited to share their work with wine lovers in the United States.
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