Pico

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Pico mountain, Portugal's highest point, rises to 2,351 m above sea level and constitutes an orographic barrier that amplifies precipitation asymmetries between slopes.
• The island's coastal climate is, according to the Köppen classification, of type Csb — temperate with a rainy winter and a dry, moderately warm summer, with the mean temperature of the warmest month below 22 °C.
• Relative humidity generally falls between 70% and 80%, a lower figure than on the other islands, remaining low even at night during summer owing to the thermoregulating effect of the lava flows.
• As the youngest island in the Azores, Pico has poorly developed, shallow soils of volcanic origin with a high proportion of coarse fragments (stoniness).
• There are zones composed of lajido — consolidated lava sheets on which distinctive volcanic landforms can be observed, resulting from effusive eruptions of the Hawaiian type.

• The settlers built an extensive network of dry-stone walls, the currais, which manage the excess of stones and protect the vines from strong winds and maritime salt spray.
• This architectural work of dry-stone walls was recognised by UNESCO in 2004 as a 'World Cultural Landscape', on an island whose settlement in 1460 brought the first vines.

• The wines, sparkling wines, liqueur wines, and wines from overripe grapes with the Pico DO are characterised by freshness and fruity aromas, with marked acidity, mineral notes, and moderate alcohol.
• Minerality and salinity are significant and distinctive attributes of these wines, sparkling wines, liqueur wines, and wines from overripe grapes produced on the island of Pico.

• The high proportion of coarse fragments in Pico's soils promotes the absorption and reflection of heat, favouring grape ripening and the expression of the aromatic compounds of the varieties.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the specification (caderno de especificações).

All appellations in Portugal

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-PT-A1445
• Official trade body site — Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho dos Açores