📍 Azores
Protected geographical indication (PGI) for white, rosé, red, sparkling and liqueur wine from the volcanic Azores archipelago.
Azores (Açores) is a Portuguese protected geographical indication (PGI) for wine from the Azores archipelago, registered in the EU on 26 January 2006 (file PGI-PT-A1447). The specification covers wine (white, rosé and red), sparkling wine and liqueur wine.
The demarcated area comprises all the islands of the archipelago, which lies in the Atlantic about 1,600 km west of mainland Portugal. According to the specification, the soils are shallow and volcanic, formed on basalt, trachyte and andesite, and the climate is temperate maritime with frequent rain and wind. Vines are grown by traditional methods, and winegrowers built plots enclosed by dry stone walls (currais or curraletas), a landscape recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage cultural landscape.
The main varieties include Verdelho, Arinto dos Açores, Terrantez do Pico, Verdelho-Roxo, Touriga Nacional, Aragonez, Alvarinho and Syrah, among many others. The maximum yield is 75 hl/ha for all three categories. Musts need at least 10 % natural alcohol for wine and liqueur wine and 9 % for sparkling wine.
Minimum actual alcoholic strength is 11 % vol for wine and sparkling wine and 16 % for liqueur wine. Sparkling wine is made by classic bottle fermentation. Liqueur wine is aged at least 12 months, and neutral wine alcohol or wine distillate may be added.
How it connects to Wine
📍 Azores ← main grape of ← 🍇 Verdelho → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🗺️ Portuguese wine
- Grapes
- 🍇 Verdelho Tinto, 🍇 Terrantez, 🍇 Verdelho
- Main grapes
- 🍇 Verdelho
- Wines
- 🍷 White wine, 🍷 Red wine
- Related to
- 🍷 Still wine
Frequently asked questions
What is the Azores wine designation?
A Portuguese PGI for white, rosé and red wine, sparkling wine and liqueur wine from all the islands of the archipelago, registered in 2006.
What is the maximum yield for Azores PGI wines?
75 hectolitres per hectare for wine, sparkling wine and liqueur wine.
What is the minimum alcohol for Azores PGI liqueur wine?
16 % vol actual alcoholic strength, with at least 12 months of ageing.
What to read next
- 🍇 Verdelho Tinto — A red form of Verdelho from Portugal.
- 🍷 Red wine — Wine from dark grapes that ferments with the skins and takes its colour from them.
- 🍷 Still wine — Wine without noticeable bubbles: EU category 1, at least 8.5–9 % actual alcohol and no more than 15 % total; red, white, rosé or orange.
- 🍇 Terrantez — A rare white grape from Madeira.
- 🍷 White wine — Wine made from grape juice without the skins; it can come from pale and even dark berries.
Similar
📜 Lafões · 📜 Beira Atlântico · 📜 Terras do Dão · 📍 Trás-os-Montes · 📍 Beira Interior · 📜 Alentejano
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.
What it includes
Sources
- Official Journal of the EU, C 200, 8.6.2023: Açores PGI amendment and single document
- eAmbrosia – EU geographical indications register: Açores (PGI-PT-A1447)