Maçanita is a clever marketer and associates himself with good wines. One of them is via the Azores Wine Company centered around Pico. His challenge was to get people to pay a “premium”, by Portuguese wine standards, from the Azores. And he’s done amazingly well at that.
He also runs Fitapreta, which makes excellent wines in the Alentejo.
His eponymous wine label, which he shares with his brothers, is in Douro. Odd, given that his family lineage is via the Azores and Alentejo and not the Douro.
Thanks for the intel on António Maçanita - as you could tell, I was confused by his involvement! Interesting that he runs Fitapreta - I'm heading to Alentejo after Sao Miguel so I'll try to check that out...
What a great piece! I am definitely someone who knows soil and terroir contribute to the wine- yet the science is so vague. I do think wine and food help us understand a place, culture, people just as much as the reverse. You know I love my Azores wines!
Thanks Kate - wish you were here! I'm off to visit an actual Sao Miguel winery tomorrow (hopefully - if nothing else goes wrong) so I'm excited to get some more insights from that too!
This is a marvelous piece! I love it. I really enjoyed your perspective that the wine can also help us understand the place, not just vice versa. Enjoy the rest of your trip, and hope you have more good wine! 🍷
What a fantastic piece! I visited the Azores two years ago, and fell in love with the cliffs, the wind, the nature, and of course the Azorean cuisine and wine. So much so that now I have a Google Alert set up about the Azores, and that’s how I came across your article. I’m hoping to visit Saõ Miguel in a few months again and would love to hear about your experience in the island wineries that you were able to visit. Have a lovely trip, looking forward to reading your future articles!
Ahh thanks Tati! I'm also happy that my articles are popping up in Google alerts! Sadly I'm not having much luck with wineries on Sao Miguel. I've only been able to find one that I can visit, and twice they've cancelled on me because the guide wasn't available. But in any case I should have a couple of wine bars and places I can recommend by the end of my trip!
Thanks for the shout out! The idea that "terroir" is debatable as a fundamental concept is silly to me - there's PLAINLY quite a bit to the concept, for anyone who visits a region and drinks throughout it. I think we more debate what precisely should be included in "terroir" - the winemaking techniques and traditions, etc. The French say yes to that latter bit, but of course then claim most other regions aren't "traditional" enough to have their own. F***ing French.
But the climate, soils, biodiversity, air, native yeasts, etc. - these are all naturally (ha) part of a place. "Sense of place" is a fine phrase, I don't mind either. Though I also think the grape is of course a "piece" or a "clue" to any given wine, just as the "place" is. Neither is all-encompassing on its own, and there's style/technique to consider as well. Though when you know the place, much like when you know the grape, there are certain elements that are almost unavoidable - the hot or moderate or cool climate, the maritime influence or not, or the inability for a Pinot to ever go as crunchy and intense as a Sagrantino, etc.
I hope this article didn't come across that I was questioning the concept of terroir! It's more that the term "terroir-driven" has become overused to the point of being meaningless, and that a lot of non-wine people don't have a clue what it denotes. Also because, as you say, even within the wine community there's debate about what it encompasses. I think I'd probably argue that is has more to do with what's going on in the vineyard rather than what's going on in the winery, but I'd be open to persuasion on that part...
Anyway, I'm finally off to visit an Azorean vineyard and winery this afternoon (after a few false starts!) so I'm curious how that will shape my perception of this bonkers "terroir"!
Oh, I didn’t think you were questioning it, just the fact that there are still people that question it - I know that I question it’s USE sometimes, for example I see the French’s constant additions to the definition so as to exclude other countries as essentially marketing vs. anything actually worthwhile to the larger wine world. But the fundamental concept seems self-evident.
I made wine in France for almost 25 years and in my experience, the average French winemaker has no more understanding of the concept of terroir than anyone else. But they have heard of it and thus will use it as a way of trying to differentiate their wine from everyone else's. I was once told "we've got terroir and you don't" which is both tragically stupid and very funny.
P. S. Really enjoyed the article about Azores. Thank you.
Ha! "We've got terroir and you don't" - that's the most nonsensical thing I've ever heard! (Well, about wine. Obviously, politicians trump that for stupidity.) Glad you enjoyed the Azores article - I've got another one coming out next week where I go into the actual wines and the practicalities of tasting them in more detail. Hopefully - once I've actually written it!
Maçanita is a clever marketer and associates himself with good wines. One of them is via the Azores Wine Company centered around Pico. His challenge was to get people to pay a “premium”, by Portuguese wine standards, from the Azores. And he’s done amazingly well at that.
He also runs Fitapreta, which makes excellent wines in the Alentejo.
His eponymous wine label, which he shares with his brothers, is in Douro. Odd, given that his family lineage is via the Azores and Alentejo and not the Douro.
Thanks for the intel on António Maçanita - as you could tell, I was confused by his involvement! Interesting that he runs Fitapreta - I'm heading to Alentejo after Sao Miguel so I'll try to check that out...
What a great piece! I am definitely someone who knows soil and terroir contribute to the wine- yet the science is so vague. I do think wine and food help us understand a place, culture, people just as much as the reverse. You know I love my Azores wines!
Thanks Kate - wish you were here! I'm off to visit an actual Sao Miguel winery tomorrow (hopefully - if nothing else goes wrong) so I'm excited to get some more insights from that too!
I wish I was also! Have fun!! Fingers crossed!
This is a marvelous piece! I love it. I really enjoyed your perspective that the wine can also help us understand the place, not just vice versa. Enjoy the rest of your trip, and hope you have more good wine! 🍷
Thank you so much! And I hope so too 🍷
What a fantastic piece! I visited the Azores two years ago, and fell in love with the cliffs, the wind, the nature, and of course the Azorean cuisine and wine. So much so that now I have a Google Alert set up about the Azores, and that’s how I came across your article. I’m hoping to visit Saõ Miguel in a few months again and would love to hear about your experience in the island wineries that you were able to visit. Have a lovely trip, looking forward to reading your future articles!
Ahh thanks Tati! I'm also happy that my articles are popping up in Google alerts! Sadly I'm not having much luck with wineries on Sao Miguel. I've only been able to find one that I can visit, and twice they've cancelled on me because the guide wasn't available. But in any case I should have a couple of wine bars and places I can recommend by the end of my trip!
Thanks for the shout out! The idea that "terroir" is debatable as a fundamental concept is silly to me - there's PLAINLY quite a bit to the concept, for anyone who visits a region and drinks throughout it. I think we more debate what precisely should be included in "terroir" - the winemaking techniques and traditions, etc. The French say yes to that latter bit, but of course then claim most other regions aren't "traditional" enough to have their own. F***ing French.
But the climate, soils, biodiversity, air, native yeasts, etc. - these are all naturally (ha) part of a place. "Sense of place" is a fine phrase, I don't mind either. Though I also think the grape is of course a "piece" or a "clue" to any given wine, just as the "place" is. Neither is all-encompassing on its own, and there's style/technique to consider as well. Though when you know the place, much like when you know the grape, there are certain elements that are almost unavoidable - the hot or moderate or cool climate, the maritime influence or not, or the inability for a Pinot to ever go as crunchy and intense as a Sagrantino, etc.
I hope this article didn't come across that I was questioning the concept of terroir! It's more that the term "terroir-driven" has become overused to the point of being meaningless, and that a lot of non-wine people don't have a clue what it denotes. Also because, as you say, even within the wine community there's debate about what it encompasses. I think I'd probably argue that is has more to do with what's going on in the vineyard rather than what's going on in the winery, but I'd be open to persuasion on that part...
Anyway, I'm finally off to visit an Azorean vineyard and winery this afternoon (after a few false starts!) so I'm curious how that will shape my perception of this bonkers "terroir"!
Oh, I didn’t think you were questioning it, just the fact that there are still people that question it - I know that I question it’s USE sometimes, for example I see the French’s constant additions to the definition so as to exclude other countries as essentially marketing vs. anything actually worthwhile to the larger wine world. But the fundamental concept seems self-evident.
I made wine in France for almost 25 years and in my experience, the average French winemaker has no more understanding of the concept of terroir than anyone else. But they have heard of it and thus will use it as a way of trying to differentiate their wine from everyone else's. I was once told "we've got terroir and you don't" which is both tragically stupid and very funny.
P. S. Really enjoyed the article about Azores. Thank you.
Ha! "We've got terroir and you don't" - that's the most nonsensical thing I've ever heard! (Well, about wine. Obviously, politicians trump that for stupidity.) Glad you enjoyed the Azores article - I've got another one coming out next week where I go into the actual wines and the practicalities of tasting them in more detail. Hopefully - once I've actually written it!