A wine lover in the Azores

Of course, a wine lover can't miss out on the Azores. Where to eat and, more importantly, where to drink? This shortlist contains all the top tips to make your stay even more unforgettable. I recommend a week's stay. I was there for five days and had a packed schedule. Take your time exploring the different islands—there are nine in total. I stayed on Faial Island and also visited Pico. Tip: Transavia flies to Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island.

The Azores Wine Company

This winery is a must-visit. Not just for the wine, but also for the breathtaking views and the stunning design. You can easily book a tasting through the website, ensuring you're always guaranteed a spot. You can also to sleep And you really do want that, believe me. Staying overnight? Don't forget to dine at the on-site restaurant. Here you'll enjoy Michelin-star dining at very reasonable prices and drink the estate's wines, including older vintages. All tasting notes can be found here >

Museum of Pico Wine

In Madalena, the capital of the island of Pico, you will find the Wine Museum . There's an English-language tour, and you'll learn a wealth of information about the history of Azorean winemaking. Unfortunately, there's no wine tasting available, but thankfully, restaurants are nearby. And for just two euros to enter, you can't pass it up. A little culture never hurts.

Ilha do Pico Cooperative Vitivinicola

This cooperative Makes fantastic wines. They source their grapes from various vineyards across the island. It's a great place to visit and especially to sample the variety of wines. I was a big fan of the Frei Gigante, a wine you can find almost everywhere, and the Terrantez do Pico, which is also available at Peeters Wine Merchant in Rotterdam .

Adega Vitivinicola Lucas Lopes Amaral

A true discovery. We tasted this wine at a local restaurant and were incredibly impressed. A young winemaker with potential and a beautiful view from the tasting room. Everything here feels familiar. Be sure to check if they're open to avoid disappointment upon arrival. It's a great place to visit; the wines are truly worth it. Check the website. here .

Anselmo Mendes

Anselmo Mendes is a well-known player in Portugal, but not many people know he also makes wine in the Azores. He collaborates with Diogo Lopes on a Verdelho wine called Magma. The grapes come from the unique Curraletas dos Biscoitos vineyard on Terceira Island. It's fun to explore that island too. It must be quite different from Pico Island. In the Netherlands, Anselmo Mendes wines are available through Vinites .

Vulcão dos Capelinhos

You have to see this, I can't say anything else. What does the landscape look like after a volcanic eruption? The landscape is futuristic, a kind of lunar landscape. About seventy years ago, a volcano erupted here, literally creating a small island. Now there's a modern visitors center Built where you can learn more about the origins of the Azores. A super interesting exhibition including a 3D experience. We rented by the way, an electric scooter in Horta to get here and toured the whole island in this way.

Volcano of Caldeira

This volcano is the highest point on the island. We had the fantastic idea of ​​doing it by mountain bike. It takes over two hours to reach the top, and you're usually exhausted because it's almost 1,000 meters of elevation gain. But hey, that's worth it, right? Probably, but we were completely covered in clouds. Well, if the photos are to be believed, the view can be phenomenal. In short, always check the weather. We rented our mountain bikes from the same place we rented our scooters. So if you're less athletic or just don't feel like cycling uphill for two and a half hours, by all means rent a scooter.

Oceanic Cafe Horta

Drinks and an easy bite? Then this is for you Restaurant . We were here on our first evening and everything was simply delicious. Excellent wines, local of course. Nice beer, good and simple menu with many local products like cheese and meat. Besides wine, there's also a lot of arable farming here. I don't quite remember the end of the evening, but what I do remember: this is the place to be For a cozy evening. And very chill: it's dirt cheap.

Cantina da Praca

I may have had the best tuna steak of my life here. Everything was so incredibly fresh and flavorful. They also had an excellent wine list with many lovely wines. We drank an old vintage from The Azores Wine Company, the wine I enjoyed most during the tasting (and described as a Krug without the bubbles). They also had a fairly wide selection from outside the Azores. Super nice. restaurant !

Peter Café Sport

You have to be here. This is the place where all the sailors come and where time has literally stood still. I had a specialty here: a kind of grilled cheese sandwich in tomato sauce with lots of meat. Very tasty, but I think I'm still full. While you're here, buy a t-shirt from the café. Apparently, it's all the rage, but unfortunately, I only found out about that afterward.

Travel & sleep

Boat tickets Book easily online and for next to nothing. From the Netherlands, the easiest way is to fly from Amsterdam to Lisbon, then connect with Azores Airlines to one of the islands.

We stayed at the Internacional Azores Boutique Hotel . It's clean and centrally located, with a cozy bar downstairs. Tip: If you find a nice bottle of wine, you can also sit on the hotel's rooftop terrace and enjoy it with a view of the harbor and the Pico volcano (provided it's not hidden by clouds). Local wine is available everywhere. Just be sure to ask for wine glasses at the bar.

I'll be back!

I'll definitely go back, not just for the wine and the scenery, but also because it's so wonderfully peaceful. There are certainly tourists, but the islands rely primarily on agriculture, so tourism isn't the main source of income. That makes it the ideal adventure holiday if you're looking for something truly different.