Arinto dos Açores, have you even heard of it? If not, now you have.
Island wine, recipes, friends. All the good things in life.
I owe the inspiration for this post and pairing to Fiona Beckett. Over the summer she held one of her paid subscriber zoom get togethers and the theme was island wines. So, of course I had to go with a wine from the Açores. It was a must. I had been holding onto this wine for just the right occasion and this seemed the logical one. To be transparent, I did use a coravin and then opened it when my best friend from college came for a visit to celebrate my 40th a few weeks later. So both occasions were perfect, especially when paired with friends.
Let me dive into the food pairing first as it was incredible and simple. For me, an island white needs seafood and I had just had the perfect tuna pâté a few weeks prior and knew it would be a perfect pairing. I did also try it with a premade tuna paste from Portugal and while it was good- the homemade was a better pairing.
Tuna pâté recipe
I cannot take credit for this recipe. My friend Hannah concocted this lovely one for a wine tasting she holds on zoom every month. It is now on regular rotation in my house and luckily I am the only one who eats it!
Now, the recipe is below, but with cooking taste as you go and add more or less depending on your tastes. I tend to do more lemon and a little less cream cheese and I double it because it is so addictive. So I suggest taste as you add and adjust to your palate.
Mix the following together:
one can of tuna (drained)
60g of cream cheese
juice of 1/2 lemon (or 1tbsp) and
2 tsp of capers
Season with black pepper and salt to taste
Arinto dos Açores
Now onto the wine. Let me start by mentioning that Arinto dos Açores is NOT the same grape as mainland Arinto. This is sometimes super confusing when someone is just starting to learn about Portuguese grapes, but just remember, mainland Arinto is different- and you’ll learn all about that in my next Portuguese grape guide.
Arinto dos Açores is the standout grape variety in the Açores archipelago. It is known for its resiliency to the tough weather conditionsin the island. It is a high yielding grape and combined with the unique terroir it is grown in, the wines are remarkable. Recent studies show it is a descendant of the Verdelho grape, however, previously its origins were unknown. It’s one of the three main grape varieties that are grown on the island of Pico, along with Verdelho and Terrantez do Pico. From these wines, you’ll find beautiful minerality and salinity, thank you Atlantic Ocean and volcanic soil. The most common characteristics are pear, green apple, tropical notes, herbaceous notes with saline finishes that linger.
The grapes for this particular wine grow in volcanic basalt at sea level as well as along the base of a volcanic mountain on the island of Pico. They’re shielded from the harsh winds by traditional rock walls known as currais, these are beautiful so click that link to see them. The grapes are all hand harvested, pressed whole and then aged for 10 months. Ilha do Pico Coop is a co-op of 250 members that was started in 1949. They preserve the heritage of winemaking on the island. For this specific wine I made a visual tasting note, click below to see it. Don’t worry, you won’t have to do any extra reading, it is a visual!
If you aren’t a seafood fan and want another great pairing for this wine hope you like chicken. When my good friend was in town and we enjoyed this bottle, we roasted chicken breasts and veggies. Coat them in a bit of Portuguese olive oil (yes, I only use Portuguese) in a mix of spices before baking. I used sumac, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, Serrano pepper, black pepper, salt, cayenne and whatever else you want to add. I used the same spices for the veggies and roasted them alongside the chicken breasts.
I made a shoppable list of my favorite and most used cookbooks and baking books recently thanks to this beautiful post from Fiona Beckett. The list is constantly growing, but you can find it here.