CZAR 2011, Vinho Licoroso from Pico Island of Portugal.  Produced in the middle of the Atlantic, on Pico island’s centenary vineyards growing on top of volcanic rock, Czar is the only wine in the world that naturally reaches an alcohol level of 19%. The Czar Vineyards are located in Criação Velha, Pico island, Portugal, which was recognized as Unesco World Heritage Site in 2004, due to the extraordinary man-made landscape of the site. Here the vines are planted within the fissures of the solid lava rock, protected from the ocean and wind by a pattern of orderly, long, linear walls. The almost forgotten species of Verdelho, Arinto dos Açores, and Terrantez do Pico are the only grapes planted at their vineyards.   Licoroso wines – a late harvest or fortified style with a minimum of 16% alcohol by volume – have a long tradition on the island. The vineyard of Criação Velha was originally planted in 1690 and these wines were produced in considerable volume in the 18th and 19th century when they were successfully traded overseas. According to the winemaker, there is a reference to the island’s wine in Tolstoy’s ‘War & Peace’. In 1820 more than 23.000 liters … Continue reading Czar 2011 – Vinho Licoroso, from Pico Island