Quick Details
With a dash of adventure in an incredible natural setting, we will unveil a secret unknown for many: the unique volcanic Pico wines, and the people who make it all possible. Intertwined with the local communities we curate encounters and tastings you wouldnโt otherwise be able to live.
We meet in Madalena, to begin our experience with a short walk, through the vineyards right by the sea, at the foothills of Pico Mountain, in the landscape of Pico Wine – considered since 2004 a UNESCO World Heritage site.
This heroic wine comes from vines that grow from lava soil and flourish on the rock. All the work is done manually and none of this has changed in 500 years, when the first settlers introduced grape growing in Pico.
To refresh our feet, we take you to one of our favorite natural swimming pools, in an amazing setting, where you can get on the water or just lay down for a bit, exchanging more local stories and preparing your appetite for the next stop where, depending on the weather we can be outdoors tasting local crabs, and other local delicacies or indoors with a more earthy local meal.
Finally, we take to a wine tasting in a beautiful setting with an emergent and promising independent local producer. You will experience all the landscape and history in your mouth!
None of our tastings are done at the Pico Cooperative (Madalena) where you can go on your own for organized tastings. We value their work, especially because they have allowed Pico Wine to be reborn, since 1949, but we want to take you to places where you would hardly go alone. We want to create the bridge between you and local wine producers who are at the forefront of this landscape and sustainable revolution while tasting low-intervention and limited editions of Pico Wine.
Pico is an example of how farming techniques and practices can be adapted to a secluded and challenging environment. In addition, visiting an old Taverna and an independent local Wine Producer offers the possibility to authentically live and experience Pico’s local contemporary culture.
On the tour day, you will meet the group near the Ferry Boat terminal in Madalena Village, Pico Island. The exact meeting point is a small statue of Gilberto Mariano da Silva.
As a reference, just in front, you will find a small water sports shop, in blue turquoise, named CW Azores. We will meet, across the street right in front of CW Azores where you will find the statue.
Starting our experience in Pico’s unique UNESCO Landscape, allows us to value what nature and people have to offer.
Our initial walk of 700 meters, is partially done on top of volcanic lava rocks with uneven soil, in between the vineyards walls, but most of it will be on flat soil.
I fell in love with these islands, especially with Pico, when I spent several months there living, working, tasting and exploring.ย These personal experiences allowed me to create natural connections that I have shared with small groups of travelers since 2021, through cultural and culinary trips and tours, which emerged organically as part of the fabric of my life โ as happened to all OMC tours and experiences which are always authentic, eclectic and deeply rooted in the region and its people!
My background in Anthropology gives me tools to better understand how food and beverages are manifestations of local traditions and communities, embedded into a certain place or culture.
We facilitate access to experiences beyond what other commercial travel agents can book and that would be difficult for you to conceptualize alone or in a short time. Our organized activities have structure and fluidity. Youโll โliveโ an authentic connection with people and local culture in a fun and relaxed way.
At OMC we preach and practice โtransformative tourismโ meaning your experience has the potential to change you positively. Each time we organize one of our events we bear this in mind. We only work with small groups and exclusive experiences. We emphasize local narratives and personal stories rather than โuniversalโ theories. We believe we are all cultural actors and creators with our part to play.
Finally, itโs part of OMCโs spirit to be eclectic, which means we offer you experiences that range from traditional to innovative, from award-winning producers to exclusive and homemade meals cooked by natives, where the oral and popular knowledge dialogue with the โscientificโ one, where dominant narratives/products/wines are questioned by subversive ones.
Note from the founder, Sรญlvia Olivenรงa, member of the Slow Food Foundation.
For more frequently asked questions about weather, alcohol, and dietary restrictions, please visit our FAQ page here.
