Around 1870, after outbreaks of disease, the grape variety Isabella, was brought to Pico. The red grapes of Isabella were resistant to diseases and provided abundant harvests. The Vinho de Cheiro, made from this grape, literally means “wine of fragrance.” Based on DNA, this grape is believed to be the result of accidental pollination of the Mediterranean Vitis vinifera with the French cultvar Meslier petit (a very rare white grape used for champagne) and originated from the Americas.
“Locals believe that this ban was almost exclusively motivated by reasons of commercial protection of wines from European grape varieties and not by the actual quality of Vinho de Cheiro. “
Simultaneously with the spread of the Isabella grape, the production of Verdelho wine dropped from thousands of barrels to only a few hundred and was limited to small areas around Madalena and São Roque.
Vinho de Cheiro is a very specific natural wine, usually made cépage and without the addition of additional sugar (unchaptalized). Initially this wine, with its alcohol content of usually only around 6-10%, did not arouse commercial interest among winemakers.
Despite this assessment, the Vinho de Cheiro was and is very popular locally, and not only still associated with local consumption among families and friends, but is also specifically used in cultural and religious ceremonies, such as the celebration of the Holy Spirit and in various traditional local Azorean recipes. It is part of the islands’ rich history.
But in 1995, the European Union banned the sale of Vinho de Cheiro within the Community because of the grape’s alleged toxic effects. These turned out to be completely unproven. For that very reason, an earlier French national legal ban was lifted in 2003. Thus, locals believe that this ban was almost exclusively motivated by reasons of commercial protection of wines from European grape varieties and not by the actual quality of Vinho de Cheiro. And rightly so, this wine is special and distinctly different in taste.
On the one hand, the vineyards are thus protected, on the other hand, it is also stipulated that other types of grapes must be grown on them than were previously the case. There is therefore pressure from various sides to lift the ban on producing wine from these grapes. Without sound scientific justification and support, this may even be in conflict with the protection of local biodiversity, also mentioned by the EU.
Since this wine is currently not processed commercially, if at all, this means that you can actually obtain this delicacy almost only informally. For many families simply continue to make this wine for their own consumption. There are now a number of courageous winemakers who nowadays produce wine with the Isabella grape, as being Isabella a Proibida (banned), because the name Isabella is not allowed to be used, short for a Vinho “A Proibida.”
Be that as it may, even if this ban on locally grown grapes is reversed, the damage will be great, because in the meantime a portion has been replaced for other grape varieties prescribed for subsidy. However, the quality of the grape is partly determined by that of its root range, and the older the plant, the better developed that root system is. The more extensive and fine-grained, the better the quality of the grape. Therefore, the damage that grubbing has now caused cannot be easily reversed.
