Maçanita Wines

These are some of the adjectives that can define both António Maçanita, winemaker and consultant, and the wines he makes. António Maçanita started in the world of wines in 2000, in the Azores, but it was only in 2004, at the age of 23, that he made his first wine.

Where others see no future, António Maçanita sees a challenge. Take the example of our Branco de Tintas (blanc de noirs), the first bottled in Portugal, an Alentejo statement wine, developed in 2008 when the CVRA decided to allow the purchase of white grapes from outside the region. Another first of note, the Branco de Talha, in 2010, also the first of its kind in Portugal, in the recovery of a winemaking tradition created by the Romans and which has seen an exponential revival in this decade.

However, it is perhaps in the Azores that the revolution is most visible, Azores grapes are now the most sought after in Portugal. It is in the Azores that António Maçanita is fighting to legalise the use of "vinhas de cheiro” - hybrid vines that have been part of the community, culture and religion of the Azorean people for 170 years. As António Maçanita describes them, with visible pride and enthusiasm, "beautiful vines, some more than 150 years old".

In 2018, António Maçanita won both the Winemaker of the Year title from Revista dos Vinhos and the 2018 Uniqueness Award from Grandes Escolhas magazine, and in 2021 Fita Preta Vinhos was producer of the year by Revista de Vinhos. But the winemaker had been winning prizes since his first wine: PRETA 2004 won the Alentejo Trophy at the International Wine Challenge.

The Douro Region

These wines reflect the Douro region to its full extent. Maçanita Red and Maçanita White express the varied terroirs of the region. Reserva Red and Reserva White are the essence of the Douro Valley. Finally, Touriga Nacional Cima Corgo and Letra A are two different products of the celebrated Touriga Nacional grape variety, as is our Rosé – its most primary form.

The wine