Old Vineyards and Wine

What we first noticed when we arrived on Pico and drove to a lunch cafe, were numerous walls of black basalt stones placed close to each other and seemingly helter skelter in the fields. We asked the waitress in the restaurant why they were there and she looked puzzled. She answered, “You mean the vineyards?” They sure didn’t look like vineyards to us.

But yes, we were looking at the imperfect squares of Pico’s vineyards, built by hand to protect the grapes from the fury of the elements. You really have to see them to understand what they look like. We wondered how many years and man hours did it take to build them.

The cultivation of grape vines on Pico began in the late 15th century, when the island was first settled. A couple of factors provided exceptional conditions for ripening grapes:
The volcanic soil rich in nutrients.
The dry, warm microclimate of the slopes protected from the wind and salt spray
by walls of rough, dark stone, heated by the sun,

The most famous wine from Pico is the Verdelho variety. This wine was exported to many countries in Europe and America, and even arrived at the table of the Russian Court. The vineyards that dot the landscape of the island, still produce a crisp, fruity, dry and mild wine that is ideal for a pairing with seafood or fish. They also have another wine called vinho de cheiro (a fragrant wine) that is popular during feast days.

In 2004, UNESCO recognized Pico’s unique viticulture system as a World Heritage Site, “Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture”. The man-made grid of walls is called Criação Velha or ”old creation” and cover more than 2000 acres on the island’s west coast. They are supposed to be the best remaining example of what was once a more widespread method of grape growing.

As these vineyards became more successful, manor houses, wine-cellars, distilleries, warehouses and ports in tiny hamlets sprang up around them. It is amazing but this culture has survived and thrives to this day.Read more