The resurgence of Pico's magnificent wines

Julia Harding MW

Wednesday 3 July 2024 • 18 min read

Julia realises a long-held dream of visiting this isolated Portuguese island in the middle of the Atlantic to discover its extreme vineyards and unique wines made by resilient, obsessively committed winegrowers. See also Pico – the tasting notes.

Where's Pico?

The Ilha do Pico, or Pico Island, is the second largest of the nine volcanic islands in the autonomous Portuguese region of the Azores, with a land area of 445 km²(172 mi²). It’s around 1,750 km (more than one thousand miles) due west of Lisbon in the middle of the Atlantic and it’s about twice...

Member

$135

/year

Save over 15% annually

Ideal for wine enthusiasts

Access 285,303 wine reviews & 15,800 articles
Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine

Pay with

Gift this membership

Inner Circle

$249

/year

Ideal for collectors

Access 285,303 wine reviews & 15,800 articles
Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance

Pay with

See all available plans

Professional

$299

/year

For individual wine professionals

Access 285,303 wine reviews & 15,800 articles
Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing

Pay with

Gift this membership

Business

$399

/year

For companies in the wine trade

Access 285,303 wine reviews & 15,800 articles
Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing

Number of seats:

Pay with

See all available plans

More Inside information

bidding during the 2025 Hospices de Beaune wine auction

Inside information

Hospices de Beaune wine auction 2025

A look back – and forward – at the world’s oldest wine charity auction, from a former bidder. On Sunday...

UK newspaper listing including The Wine Programme from 1983

Inside information

The Jancis Robinson Story, episode 4 – fruiting

The fourth of a new seven-part podcast series giving the definitive story of Jancis’s life and career so far. For...

Inside information

Brunello vintage 2021 – new reference points for Montalcino

Montalcino has finally produced a map of its vineyards but 2021 reveals the producers that triumph irrespective of geography. Such...

Ampuis viewed from Condrieu © Bernard Favre

Inside information

Northern Rhône vintage 2024 – an overview

Despite the incessant rain, another vintage to add to the region’s run of good years. Above, the River Rhône viewed...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Karl and Alex Fritsch in winery; photo by Julius_Hirtzberger.jpg

Wines of the week

Fritsch Roter Veltliner 2024 Wagram

A rare Austrian variety revived and worthy of a place at the table. From €13.15, £20.10, $24.19. It was pouring...

Tasting articles

Oregon enters its bubble era

The fine sparkling-wine producers of Oregon are getting organised. Above, Lytle-Barnett’s Windfall vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon (credit: Lester...