Nonconformist, disruptive, inconvenient, daring, restless, captivating. These are some of the somewhat controversial adjectives that can define both António Maçanita, winemaker and consultant, and the wines he creates. António Maçanita, now 39 years old, began in the world of wine in 2000 in the Azores, but it was only in 2004, at the age of 23, that he made his first wine. In his 15-year career, he has recovered abandoned grape varieties, such as Negra Mole in the Algarve and Terrantez do Pico in the Azores.
Where others see no future, Antônio sees challenge. Take, for example, the Branco de Tintas wine, the first bottled in Portugal, an Alentejo protest wine, developed in 2008 when the CVRA (Regional Wine Commission of the Azores) decided to allow the purchase of white grapes from outside the region. Another noteworthy debut is the Branco de Talha, in 2010, also the first of its kind in Portugal, reviving a winemaking tradition created by the Romans and which has seen an exponential renaissance in this decade. However, it is perhaps in the Azores that the revolution is most visible – Azorean grapes are now the most expensive in Portugal, where they are currently fighting for the legalization of the use of fragrant vines, “beautiful vines, some over 150 years old,” as Maçanita describes them, with visible pride and enthusiasm.

In 2018, António Maçanita won both the title of Winemaker of the Year from Revista dos Vinhos and the 2018 Singularity Award from Revista Grandes Escolhas. However, he had already been winning awards since his first wine: the PRETA 2004 wine won the Alentejo Trophy at the International Wine Challenge. Also in 2016, António Maçanita received the Generation XXI Winemaker Trophy (10 years 2006-2016) from Revista Paixão do Vinho. In the same year, Revista Wine considered Azores Wine Company a Revelation Producer. In 2016, Azores Wine Company and its three partners won the Project of the Year and Entrepreneurs of the Year awards from the magazine "100 Largest Companies of the Azores," published by the newspaper Açoriano Oriental – the oldest daily newspaper in Portugal. Two years later, Revista de Vinhos chose Vinha Centenária, from Azores Wine Company, among the Best Wines of Portugal 2018. All wines produced by António Maçanita, whether from Alentejo, Douro or the Azores, frequently achieve more than 90 points in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, the most prestigious wine classification in the world.
António Maçanita produces wines in five different regions, has created three in-house production projects, supports 12 producers through his consulting firm, and launches more than 50 signature labels on the market annually.