Wine Museum

Category: Culture and Entertainment > Museum

District: Açores > Madalena > Madalena > Cais do Pico

Location

The Wine Museum is located in Madalena, in the Cais do Pico area. It is situated in an area where the vineyard landscape meets the sea. From here, it is possible to enjoy wide views over the Pico-Faial Channel and the majestic Pico Mountain, serenely framed within the island's environment.

The Conventual Past

The museum occupies the premises of an old Carmelite Order convent, dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. This historic building was once a summer mansion for the Carmelite friars from Horta. Its presence is an important architectural testimony to the era of prosperity associated with Verdelho wine on Pico Island.

The Vineyard Culture

This space is dedicated to telling the long history of the vineyard and wine on Pico Island. The visit allows visitors to learn how the local community, since the earliest times, dedicated itself to this culture. It is possible to discover traditional working methods, ancient tools, and the evolution of production, from the famous Verdelho wine exported far and wide, to the challenges faced over the centuries and the most recent recovery.

Lava and Vineyard Landscape

A fundamental part of the museum is its connection to the surrounding landscape, classified by UNESCO. Vineyard cultivation in Pico is unique, with vines growing in fields of lava, protected by volcanic stone walls. The museum integrates a vineyard area where it is possible to observe this traditional cultivation method in 'currais' up close, adapted to the island's volcanic conditions.

A Dragon Tree Garden

On the museum grounds, there is a remarkable grove of dragon trees, with secular specimens. These ancient trees, with their characteristic shapes, contribute to the uniqueness and beauty of the site. They represent a distinctive natural element that accompanies the history of the vineyard on the island.