The Portuguese islands have been making a name for themselves in the wine sector as islands of quality and excellence. In a highly globalised world, everything that is genuine and distinctive has a greater ability to stand out, and the wines produced in the Azores and Madeira are undoubtedly among them.
Today we're concentrating on the white wines coming from both islands, perfect to accompany this spring.
Freshness and salinity are the watchwords of Azorean wines. Small production wines, in a terroir that is very difficult to ‘master’, on an island with an unpredictable climate... These are the reasons why Pico's grapes are the best paid in Portugal today, and why Azorean wines are among the most sought after by the most informed consumers.
Here Arinto, Terrantez and Verdelho dominate. These are unusual wines that will make you savour the sea in a glass.
The island of Madeira is also a unique landscape characterised by its rugged terrain. The particular conditions of the volcanic soil, most of which is basaltic, and the proximity to the sea, combined with the climatic conditions, in which the summers are hot and humid and the winters mild, give the wine unique and singular characteristics.
Verdelho is a very common variety that produces unique whites with a fresh, mineral/volcanic aroma, some tropical fruit and a marked salinity.
Listrão, from the small Madeiran island of Porto Santo, has a more floral side with iodised and gunpowder notes, which appear a lot in wines from volcanic islands.
If you're looking for unique and singular wines, take a look at our suggestions today and try a wine that will certainly stay in your memory.
