Azores Wine Company Vinha dos Ultras 2022

Azores Wine Company Vinha dos Ultras is a distinctive white from one of the most remote and dramatic wine regions in the world.

Azores Wine Company was founded in 2014 on Pico Island by winemaker António Maçanita together with Filipe Rocha and Paulo Machado, with a mission to revive the Azores' near-forgotten viticultural heritage. Vineyards here are planted in tiny plots called currais, walled off from the Atlantic wind by hand-built volcanic stone walls that form part of a UNESCO World Heritage landscape. The black basalt soils, salty ocean air and cool, humid climate give the wines an intense minerality and saline character unlike anywhere else in Portugal, with indigenous grapes such as Arinto dos Açores and Verdelho central to the project's focus on native varieties.

This is a distinctive, mineral-driven white, best suited to special occasions and adventurous wine drinkers.

*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, Mineral-driven, Saline
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: Black basalt soils in tiny walled currais, in a cool, humid maritime climate
Aging: Vinified to preserve the intense minerality and saline character of the site
Serving Temperature: 10–12℃ – Serve chilled

Azores Wine Company was founded in 2014 on Pico Island by winemaker António Maçanita together with Filipe Rocha and Paulo Machado, with a mission to revive the Azores’ near-forgotten viticultural heritage. Vineyards here are planted in tiny plots called currais, walled off from the Atlantic wind by hand-built volcanic stone walls that form part of a UNESCO World Heritage landscape.

The black basalt soils, salty ocean air and cool, humid climate give the wines an intense minerality and saline character unlike anywhere else in Portugal, with indigenous grapes such as Arinto dos Açores and Verdelho central to the project’s focus on native varieties.

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 mineral drive is what it needs, with enough texture to match the depth of the stew and the salinity of the basalt soils to tie it to the fish.