4 Best Sights in Madalena, Pico

Pico’s wine-growing landscape can be challenging with its volcanic soil and proximity to the sea, but a new generation of winemakers is recovering neglected vineyards and putting Pico wine back on the map. The young Azores Wine Company was founded in 2014 with the goal of making minimal-intervention wines using traditional Azorean grapes, particularly the white varieties Terrantez do Pico, Arinto dos Açores, and Verdelho. Besides single varietal wines, they also produce white, red, and rosé blends. Visitors can stop by to hear their story and taste their wines, as well as to buy bottles to take home. There are also five apartments set among the volcanic rock where wine lovers can spend the night, plus a restaurant that serves highly regarded tasting menus with wine pairings.

This cooperative was formed in 1949 by a group of local winemakers; by 1961, they had started producing wine using the traditional Verdelho, Arinto, and Terrantez grape varieties. Output remained small until the early 1990s, when the production processes were modernized and more varieties were introduced, including, in 1997, the first fortified wine with a distilled spirit added (Lajido), and in 2001, the first sweet fortified wine (Angelica). Today, the cooperative is the largest wine producer in the Azores, with about 240 members growing grapes. Book well in advance or try your luck stopping by for a tour of the wine production facility.

Visible from many locations around Pico—unless it’s shrouded in fog and clouds, as is often the case—and even more visible from across the water in Faial, 7,713-foot Mt. Pico is the highest mountain in Portugal. Past eruptions have occurred on its flanks rather than from the summit, the most recent back in 1720. If you want to hike up Mt. Pico, you can start at the Casa da Montanha at 4,035 feet. Though it’s not a difficult climb, it can still be quite challenging as the path is steep with uneven rocks; depending on your experience level, consider hiring a guide to accompany you. Come early or book online to be guaranteed a hiking spot, as hikers are limited to 120 per day. Bring photo ID to register.

Set inside and on the grounds of a former convent, this compact but comprehensive museum explains the history of wine on Pico, from its beginnings in the late 15th century to widespread Verdelho wine production—which lasted until the vines were hit by phylloxera in the mid-19th century—to the reintroduction of traditional grape varieties, including Verdelho, in the 1970s. In the adjoining gardens, you’ll find magnificent dragon trees—grown throughout the Azores and so named for their red-colored resin—along with examples of vineyards using Pico’s traditional “currais” method, where square-shaped areas of volcanic gravel are surrounded by low stone walls that protect them from wind while still allowing sunlight to enter.