📍 Pico

Pico is a Portuguese protected designation of origin (PDO) for wine from the island of Pico in the Azores, registered in the EU on 15 November 1996 (file PDO-PT-A1445). The specification covers four categories: white wine, liqueur wine, sparkling wine and wine of overripe grapes.

The demarcated area consists of land at 100 m altitude or below in the municipality of Madalena, in the parish of Santa Luzia, part of Prainha and the locality of Baía de Canas (São Roque), and in the parish of Piedade and the localities of Engrade and Manhenha (Lajes). According to the specification, Pico is the second-largest island of the Azores, and its mountain, 2,351 m high, is the highest peak in Portugal. Vines must grow in vinhas estremes, trained low (goblet or cordon), on lithosols over basalt formed by recent lavas. The vines stand in plots enclosed by dry stone walls (currais), a landscape that UNESCO recognised in 2004 as a World Heritage Cultural Landscape.

At least 85 % of the must must come from Arinto dos Açores (Terrantez da Terceira), Verdelho and Terrantez do Pico; the rest may come from Galego Dourado and Malvasia Fina (Boal). The maximum yield is 70 hl/ha for all categories.

Musts need a minimum potential natural alcohol of 10 % for wine, 9 % for sparkling base wine, 12 % for liqueur wine and 15 % for wine of overripe grapes. Liqueur wine and wine of overripe grapes may be bottled only after at least 36 months of ageing.