Azores Wine Company Vinha Centenária 2021

Azores Wine Company Vinha Centenária is a distinctive old-vine white from Pico Island, made from a traditional field blend of local varieties grown on volcanic soils in the middle of the Atlantic.

Azores Wine Company was founded by António Maçanita together with local growers to champion the unique viticulture of the Azores, where vines are trained low to the ground and sheltered within small volcanic-stone enclosures called 'curraletas' to protect them from the relentless Atlantic wind. Pico's vineyards, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sit on basalt lava fields and are among the oldest and most extreme in Europe. Vinha Centenária is sourced from century-old mixed plantings including Arinto dos Açores, Verdelho, Alicante Branco and Boal, a field-blend style that reflects the island's traditional, pre-phylloxera viticultural heritage.

A textured, saline and intensely mineral white shaped by old vines and a maritime climate, it suits special occasions and adventurous drinkers seeking something genuinely distinctive.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: White Wine
Style: Full-bodied, Textured, Intensely Mineral
Grape Varietal: Field blend of Arinto dos Açores, Verdelho, Alicante Branco and Boal
Tastes Like: Comparable to a top oaked Chardonnay in weight, but saltier, wilder and far more mineral
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Açores, Portugal
Region: Pico, Azores, Portugal
Terroir: Century-old mixed plantings on basalt lava fields, within volcanic stone enclosures in a UNESCO World Heritage landscape
Aging: Vinified to preserve the concentration and salinity of the old vines
Serving Temperature: 10–12℃ – Serve chilled

Azores Wine Company was founded by António Maçanita together with local growers to champion the unique viticulture of the Azores, where vines are trained low to the ground and sheltered within small volcanic-stone enclosures to protect them from the relentless Atlantic wind. Pico’s vineyards, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sit on basalt lava fields and are among the oldest and most extreme in Europe.

Vinha Centenária is sourced from century-old mixed plantings including Arinto dos Açores, Verdelho, Alicante Branco and Boal. This field-blend style, where several varieties grow interplanted and are picked and fermented together, reflects the island’s traditional pre-phylloxera viticultural heritage.

Fish: Perfect with rich fish stews, grilled tuna or turbot
Shellfish: Excellent with lobster, crab, octopus or scallops
Poultry: Pairs beautifully with roast chicken or veal in a cream sauce
Cheese: Ideal with firm, long-aged cheeses

Queijo São Jorge: The Azorean island cheese, firm and piquant, a match of place
Queijo do Pico: Soft and salty, from the same island as the vines
Aged Comté: Nutty and crystalline, meeting the wine’s concentration
Manchego Curado: Firm and long-aged, balancing the wine’s texture

Caldeirada de Peixe (Azorean Fisherman’s Stew)

Ingredients (Serves 6):

• 1.5kg mixed firm fish, cut into large pieces
• 500g potatoes, thickly sliced
• 2 onions, sliced into rings
• 2 red capsicums, sliced
• 4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 250ml dry white wine
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• Small bunch flat-leaf parsley and coriander, chopped
• Coarse salt and cracked black pepper
• Crusty bread, to serve

Instructions:

1. Pour two tablespoons of olive oil into a wide, heavy pot and lay in half the onion, capsicum and tomato.
2. Add a layer of potato slices, then the fish, seasoning each layer with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and herbs.
3. Cover with the remaining vegetables in a second layer, finishing with tomato.
4. Tuck in the bay leaves and pour over the white wine and the remaining olive oil.
5. Cover tightly and bring to a bare simmer over a low heat.
6. Cook for 40 minutes without stirring at any point. Shake the pot gently by the handles if it needs settling.
7. Check that the potatoes are tender and the fish flakes cleanly.
8. Scatter with the remaining herbs and serve straight from the pot with crusty bread.

The dish of every fishing village in the Azores, built in layers and never stirred. A wine of this weight and texture is what it needs: old-vine concentration to match the depth of the stew, and the salinity of the basalt soils to tie it to the fish.