I last wrote here about a wine from this producer, the Azores Wine Company, back in 2016 when I discovered what I considered to be at the time one of Portugal’s best rosés.
The wine in question is Volcanic Rosé but, sadly, it disappeared from the shops here in the Algarve soon after and only appeared again at Apolónia a couple of weeks ago. It is still excellent and well worth the price of just under €10.
It was the reappearance of this wine on the shelves at Apolónia that drew my attention to this Arinto dos Açores, which, in fact, is not the same grape as the Arinto grown on the mainland, but a distinct variety indigenous to the Azores.
Like the rosé and all wines produced by the Azores Wine Company, the grapes are cultivated on rocky soil as close as 50 metres to the ocean, protected from the elements by “currais”, stone walls that were built over 500 years ago.
This is an immensely fresh and “mineral” style wine with great acidity.
On the nose, there are notes of grapefruit along with subtle tropical fruit aromas. Pale yellow in colour, the wine is dry in the mouth and well-rounded with a slight saltiness adding to the dry finish.
An ideal wine to enjoy with seafood and especially with oysters – €21.95 at Apolónia.
