Widely regarded as one of the most dynamic young winemakers in Portugal, António Maçanita crafts wines from the Azores archipelago to Alentejo, each one capturing the essence of the regional terroir and traditions. He also makes wines in the Douro Valley with his sister Joana under the Maçanita label.
In addition to founding and owning Fita Preta, Antonio is a consultant winemaker for more than 13 other wineries in Portugal through his company Wine ID. His first harvest experience was at four years old, playing amongst the vines while grapes were being picked. He’s gone on to work in wineries in Napa, Australia, and Bordeaux, before returning to Portugal to change the landscape of modern Portuguese wine.
Antonio was named 2018 Winemaker of the Year in Revista de Vinhos Magazine, as well as awarded the 2018 Singularity Award by Revista Grandes Escolhas.
The Azores Wine Company was founded on April 3, 2014, by the partners António Maçanita, Filipe Rocha and Insula Vinus, Lda. They have been instrumental in the promotion of Azorean wine and gastronomy. In 2010, António Maçanita began, along with the S. Miguel Agricultural Development Services, work on the Terrantez do Pico grape variety. Unique in the world, this nearly extinct grape reveals a surprising freshness, mineral quality and salinity.
Azores Wine Co. Rosé Vulcânico 2020
This grows on the island of Pico, in the Azores archipelago, off Portugal, and its pure volcanic, black basaltic, scrabbly rocky soils. This blends 5-30+ year old Saborinho, Agronomica, Aragonês, Touriga Nacional and many other co-planted varieties across 13 vineyards, sustainably grown in wee plots (2 to 6 bush trained vines per square), planted in 1991 at sea level. This is a partial saignée from António Maçanita’s Tinto Vulcânico, along with partial whole bunch, and including some cofermentation. Stainless steel preserves the crisp fruit, and no maceration created the pale peach hue. The 600-1000L stainless barrels were lain on their sides to give more lees / wine contact and texture on the palate. Bright and juicy, with wild strawberries, Rainier cherries, pink grapefruit on a marine-led, saline-dominant, light-bodied palate, finishing with more quenching grapefruit pith. There’s a riffing texture that draws this to the salty finish. Smashable, characterful, and moreish.
Appellation: IG Açores
Region: Azores, Portugal
Grape(s): Saborinho, Agronomica, Aragonês, Touriga Nacional and others
Price: $23.95 for 750 mL, 12 / case
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Cheers,
Le Sommelier
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bernard@lesommelier.com
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