Sogrape Distribuição has just added the Azores region to its portfolio with the inclusion of the A Cerca dos Frades brand. This new representation marks yet another step toward the premiumization of the company’s offerings, in this case with high-quality white wines from the island of Pico.
Initiated by the company’s founder, Tito Silva, in the heart of the Paisagem Da Vinha do Lajido in Santa Luzia on the island of Pico, the A Cerca dos Frades project stems from a deep emotional connection to a plot of land that once belonged to his grandfather, where, as a child, he would participate in a small family grape harvest.
The year 2015 marked the beginning of the vineyards’ revitalization, during which 3 hectares were planted with Terrantez do Pico, Arinto dos Açores, and Verdelho grapes. In 2018, with the vineyard now spanning 15 hectares, the first A Cerca dos Frades Blend wine was released. The following year, the first single-varietal wine, A Cerca dos Frades Terrantez do Pico, was released. In 2020, the family grew with the launch of the second single-varietal wine, A Cerca dos Frades Verdelho. With the 2021 harvest, the first single-varietal A Cerca dos Frades Arinto dos Açores will also be launched.
Currently, with approximately 20 hectares of native Azorean grape varieties, A Cerca dos Frades offers distinctive wines that are now distributed by Sogrape Distribuição.
“Our goal is always to add value and diversity to our offerings through quality brands. The addition of A Cerca dos Frades allows us to integrate a new region into our portfolio, supporting a producer who brings to Sogrape the distinctive attributes of Azorean wine with its unique freshness and acidity,” notes Gonçalo Sousa Machado, CEO of Sogrape Distribuição.
“We deeply believe in the legacy of our ancestors, who heroically managed to ‘make wine from stone’—which was once the wealth of this land. From the very beginning, our purpose has been to honor our grape varieties, our land, and our traditions, creating wines of excellence that, through this partnership with Sogrape—a leader in the wine industry—will now reach more consumers, allowing Cerca dos Frades to expand its presence in Portugal,” says Tito Silva, producer at A Cerca dos Frades.
A Cerca dos Frades wines will be available starting July 20 as part of the Sogrape Distribuição portfolio.
A CERCA DOS FRADES – BLEND
Produced in the heart of the Lajido de Santa Luzia Vineyard Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on the island of Pico, this wine combines the freshness of Azorean Arinto, the elegance of Pico’s Terrantez, and the fragrance of Verdelho, in a blend deeply influenced by the recent volcanic origin of the soils, proximity to the sea, and the temperate Atlantic climate. Freshness and salinity are two of the attributes that highlight its gastronomic potential, making it the perfect accompaniment to grilled fish, salads, and fresh seafood.
A CERCA DOS FRADES – VERDELHO
Made from the Verdelho grape variety—iconic and cherished on the island of Pico, where it has been grown for hundreds of years—it also represents a style of wine that once conquered the world.
This wine is the result of a meticulous selection of the finest grapes from Cerca dos Frades in Santa Luzia on the northern coast of Pico Island, resulting in a fresh, briny, and elegant wine that pairs perfectly with grilled fish, salads, seafood, and cheeses.
A CERCA DOS FRADES – TERRANTEZ
Terrantez do Pico is a grape variety native to the island of Pico, where it finds unique conditions to develop its attributes. Special yet delicate, it requires extra care in the vineyard so that the grapes can express their floral character, freshness, elegance, and salinity.
With an elegant aroma typical of the variety, featuring floral notes, it is rich on the palate, fresh, and distinctly briny, making it the perfect accompaniment to grilled fish, salads, seafood, and cheeses.
A CERCA DOS FRADES – ARINTO
The Arinto grape variety of the Azores, exclusive to these islands, is today the most widely cultivated in the region, producing wines of great freshness and salinity. This wine is made from grapes from a single plot within the Cerca dos Frades estate in Santa Luzia on the northern coast of Pico Island.
With a complex aroma combining citrus fruits, a tropical touch, and notes of the sea, it is fresh, briny, and smooth, pairing perfectly with grilled fish, salads, seafood, and cheeses.