Naming this project “Magma” was just its most recent step. Last year we were so excited about the (re)birth of the wine from the old Biscoitos’ «curraletas» — on the northern part of the Terceira Island in the Azores — that we didn’t even notice we were actually creating a brand with the utmost simplicity and ease. That brand was Vinhos Magma. And the name really says it all: magma-bred wines.

It all started some while back. One day in 2009 I flew to Terceira to meet with my friend Costa. He kept talking about these vineyards in the Biscoitos parish. Grown on top of volcanic rocks, he told me the vineyards were also a stone’s throw from the sea. One could easily see great potential for Verdelho there. Its unique Atlantic character would certainly make its way into the market and bring some income to the cooperative winery and its producers.

But when I got there I was really overwhelmed. Impressed by vineyards planted among irregular walls made of volcanic stone — the “curraletas” — and the hard work producers put into their care: either protecting the vineyard or exposing it during maturation. I immediately realized there was something heroic about this endeavor. It was only after tasting the Verdelho, though, that I picked up the phone: “Master Anselmo, you have to come over!”