Non-conformist, disruptive, difficult, audacious, restless and hot-tempered, these are some of the unconventional adjectives used to describe both António Maçanita, an oenologist and consultant, and the wines he produces. Now 39, Maçanita entered the world of wine in 2000 in the Azores, but it was only in 2004, at the age of 23, that he produced his first vintage. In these 15 years, he has revived abandoned grape varieties, such as Negra Mole in the Algarve and Terrantez do Pico in the Azores.

Where others are dismissive, António sees a challenge. Take the example of Branco de Tintas, the first wine he bottled in Portugal and an Alentejan protest wine developed in 2008 when CVRA decided to allow the purchase of white grapes from outside the region. Another momentous creation was Branco de Talha, in 2010, also the first of its kind in Portugal, which revived a Roman winemaking tradition and produced a subsequent renaissance. However, his revolutionary contribution is probably most visible in the Azores - Azorean grapes are today the most expensive in Portugal - where a battle is being waged today to legalise the use of aromatic vines, “beautiful vines, some over 150 years old”, as Maçanita, visibly proud and enthusiastic, describes them.

In 2018, António Maçanita won Revista dos Vinhos “Winemaker of the Year” award and Revista Grandes Escolhas “Outstanding Contribution Award 2018”. But even his very first wine - PRETA 2004 - was a prize-winner, earning the “Trophy Alentejo” at the International Wine Challenge. In 2016, he also won the magazine Paixão do Vinho’s 10th-anniversary (2006-2016) “Generation 21 Oenologist Trophy”. In the same year, Revista Wine voted Azores Wine Company “Best New Producer”. In 2016, the Azores Wine Company and its three shareholders won the “Project of the Year” and “Entrepreneurs of the Year” awards by 100 Maiores Empresas dos Açores, a magazine produced by Açoriano Oriental – the oldest daily newspaper in Portugal.

Two years later, the Revista de Vinhos voted Vinha Centenária, by the Azores Wine Company, one of the “Best Portuguese Wines 2018”. Every wine produced by António Maçanita, whether in the Alentejo, Douro or Azores, frequently wins over 90 points in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, the world’s most important wine classification. António Maçanita produces wines in five different regions, has created three wholly-owned production projects, supports 12 producers through his consulting firm and puts, anually, 50 signature wines on the market.