Speaking to the Lusa news agency, the president of the Institute of Wine and Vine (IVV) of the Azores, Cláudio Lopes, admitted that 2025 will be a "very good year, both in quantitative and qualitative terms."

"Regarding our harvest forecast for 2025, which was substantially higher than the 2024 harvest, we anticipated, in due course, a 120 to 130% increase compared to the 2024 harvest. And, from what we're seeing, now that we've had a week of harvest in the region, everything points to this being fulfilled, to this forecast being met," he said.

In 2024, there was a drop of about 50% compared to 2023, due to disease and bird attacks, with 275 tons of grapes produced.

"We are facing a much better year than the last four, in terms of quantity and quality of production. Let's say our last good year was 2019. From then on, we had a cycle of four to five relatively bad years, due to various factors, including climate, disease, and pest attacks," he recalled.

This season, the region is "expecting a much better year," said the director, who expects the forecast to come true by the end of the harvest, which began last week.

The summer "has been going well" for the sector, and the health of the grapes already harvested is "very good," he said, indicating that forecasts point to a production of 500 to 600 tons.

"And, if the summer goes as it has so far, we could have a year of exceptional quality as well. Therefore, I expect it to be a very good year, both in terms of quantity and quality," he concluded.

In the region, harvests were once again brought forward due to producers' concerns about pest attacks, particularly birds.

However, some producers have already introduced "some production precautions, namely protecting some plots with nets and using other mechanisms, such as sound equipment, and everything they can do to scare away pests related to birds."

The labour shortage in the sector is also evident, but according to Cláudio Lopes, people are coping with the situation with the help of friends and family and recruiting available labour, and this is not a concern at this time.

The region produces primarily white wines, but also reds, rosés, and sparkling wines, and has a "special and very unique" niche of fortified wines, including "Czar, which is a very particular and unique wine in the world," according to Lopes.

The Azores archipelago has three demarcated regions for the production of Designation of Origin wines (Pico, Graciosa, and Biscoitos - Terceira Island), and all islands are covered by the Azores Geographical Indication.

Currently, there are 33 producers, 92 commercial brands, and 156 references in the region.

The Pico vineyard landscape has been a listed site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 2004.