History
Remnants of the long history of the estates are largely erased or have disappeared, as happened with the Pombaline boundary stones of Quinta da Costa de Cima and Quinta do Caleiro, from the first demarcation of quality wines, dating from 1758.
Even so, one or another testimony of ancient history can be discovered, namely in the coat-of-arms chapel of Costa de Cima, from the first half of the 18th century, or in the ruins of the house and winery of Quinta do Sol or, still, in the water reservoir structure of the Caleiro stream, with shale walls that preserve signs of the ancient technique of planting vines in “pilheiros”.
On the highest altitudes of Quinta do Sol or on the riverside of Quinta da Costa de Cima, we can still find fragments of low and tortuous walls of ancient vineyard terraces, transformed into “mortories” with the invasion of phylloxera in the second half of the 19th century and covered by forests of spontaneous vegetation, which recovered its place.
It was at the end of the 17th century that Quinta da Costa de Cima originated, belonging to the Taveira family, from Guiães, who prided themselves on being «one of the first three noble families that the Lord King D. Dinis commanded from the city of Lisbon» to this village [Vila Real]".
17th CENTURY
Throughout the 1730s, Francisco José Taveira de Macedo, a knight of the Order of Christ, and his wife, Maria Quitéria da Cunha Pimentel, from the aristocratic Calçada House of Provesende, invested in the construction of the houses at Quinta da Costa de Cima, the whose chapel, invoking St. Francis, linked, in December 1737, one of its vineyards. It was even in one of these houses that the first Douro demarcation commission gathered.
Costa de Cima and Caleiro are included in the first demarcation of the Douro, being classified as properties that produced the best “factory wines” – Port Wines.
Quinta do Caleiro is owned by João Manuel Pereiro da Silva e Sousa Mourão, a young nobleman, knight of the Royal Household who serves as sergeant-major in the district of Vila Real. By that time, the estate produced, on average, 15 barrels of wine per year.
Quinta da Costa de Cima produces 50 barrels of wine, 44 of red, approved for first quality shipment, exportable to Great Britain, and 6 of white. Quinta do Caleiro produces 37 barrels of wine, 31 of red wine (approved as top quality) and 6 of white wine.
The average annual production of Costa de Cima had dropped to 6.5 barrels in 1810. In 1811 José Taveira Pimentel de Carvalho e Menezes took over management and invested in replanting and regular farming. In the 1820s, production increased, in many years exceeding 60-70 pipes per year.
Around this time, Quinta do Sol was created by Tomás Homem de Sousa Quevedo Pizarro, a noble knight of the Royal House.
It was equipped with houses and winery, increasing production over the first few years, from 36 barrels in 1821 to 161 in 1825.
Quinta do Caleiro is inherited by João Manuel Pereira da Silva and Sousa Mourão de Almeida Morais Pessanha, having gone through a period of growth to an average of 100 barrels by mid-century.
João de Almeida Morais Pessanha held important military and political positions, being commander of the national battalion of Vila Real, president of the Chamber of Sabrosa and member of the Chamber of Peers (he was appointed Peer of the Kingdom in 1842).
From the 1850s onwards, plagues, first powdery mildew and then phylloxera, provoked a deep crisis in the Douro.
Death of João de Almeida Morais Pessanha, who left Quinta do Caleiro and other properties to António de Almeida de Morais Pessanha.
In the entire parish of Gouvinhas, the harvest only yields around 20 barrels. At Quinta do Sol, the ruins of the old mansion recall those times of crisis.
From that time on, a titanic effort was made to recover the Douro vineyards, with the planting of American rootstocks and the grafting of regional grape varieties.
Costa de Cima was already one of the estates with the highest production of wine in the parish of Gouvinhas, yielding 50-100 barrels per year. Quinta do Sol, on the other hand, remains abandoned or without significant wine production.
This year they are both sold to Manuel Pinto Hespanhol, whose viticultural investments led to an annual production of around 150 barrels of wine.
In the 1950s, Quinta do Caleiro was mortgaged and later acquired by a member of the Pinto Pizarro family, who, living in Brazil, did not alter the state of abandonment of the estate.
In 1972, Quinta da Costa de Cima and Quinta do Sol were acquired by Mário Joaquim da Rocha Braga.
In 1995, Quinta do Caleiro was acquired by José Manuel Alves Teixeira, who invested his savings in converting the vineyards and renovating the houses.
After the death of Mário Braga in 1999, the sons began a process of rationalizing assets, for sustained growth.
In 2018 they sold the Gouvinhas properties (eight items, including Quinta da Costa de Cima and Quinta do Sol) to the investors Rubens Menin and Cristiano Gomes.
Rubens Menin and Cristiano Gomes join to Quinta da Costa de Cima and Quinta do Sol the Quinta do Caleiro, with 36 hectares.
“It was a long process of recovering centuries-old vineyards that were abandoned and with many flaws. We are replanting with exactly the same 54 varieties that are there, reinforcing the sustainability of our terroirs and protecting the diversity of grape varieties that reflect the identity of the Douro. It would be much easier to rip everything off, but that's not what we're aiming for. We want to invest all our efforts in preserving the old vines of the region”.
Cristiano Gomes
Administrator
History
Remnants of the long history of the estates are largely erased or have disappeared, as happened with the Pombaline boundary stones of Quinta da Costa de Cima and Quinta do Caleiro, from the first demarcation of quality wines, dating from 1758.
Even so, one or another testimony of ancient history can be discovered, namely in the coat-of-arms chapel of Costa de Cima, from the first half of the 18th century, or in the ruins of the house and winery of Quinta do Sol or, still, in the water reservoir structure of the Caleiro stream, with shale walls that preserve signs of the ancient technique of planting vines in “pilheiros”.
On the highest altitudes of Quinta do Sol or on the riverside of Quinta da Costa de Cima, we can still find fragments of low and tortuous walls of ancient vineyard terraces, transformed into “mortories” with the invasion of phylloxera in the second half of the 19th century and covered by forests of spontaneous vegetation, which recovered its place.
It was at the end of the 17th century that Quinta da Costa de Cima originated, belonging to the Taveira family, from Guiães, who prided themselves on being «one of the first three noble families that the Lord King D. Dinis commanded from the city of Lisbon» to this village [Vila Real]".
17th CENTURY
Throughout the 1730s, Francisco José Taveira de Macedo, a knight of the Order of Christ, and his wife, Maria Quitéria da Cunha Pimentel, from the aristocratic Calçada House of Provesende, invested in the construction of the houses at Quinta da Costa de Cima, the whose chapel, invoking St. Francis, linked, in December 1737, one of its vineyards. It was even in one of these houses that the first Douro demarcation commission gathered.
Costa de Cima and Caleiro are included in the first demarcation of the Douro, being classified as properties that produced the best “factory wines” – Port Wines.
Quinta do Caleiro is owned by João Manuel Pereiro da Silva e Sousa Mourão, a young nobleman, knight of the Royal Household who serves as sergeant-major in the district of Vila Real. By that time, the estate produced, on average, 15 barrels of wine per year.
Quinta da Costa de Cima produces 50 barrels of wine, 44 of red, approved for first quality shipment, exportable to Great Britain, and 6 of white. Quinta do Caleiro produces 37 barrels of wine, 31 of red wine (approved as top quality) and 6 of white wine.
The average annual production of Costa de Cima had dropped to 6.5 barrels in 1810. In 1811 José Taveira Pimentel de Carvalho e Menezes took over management and invested in replanting and regular farming. In the 1820s, production increased, in many years exceeding 60-70 pipes per year.
Around this time, Quinta do Sol was created by Tomás Homem de Sousa Quevedo Pizarro, a noble knight of the Royal House.
It was equipped with houses and winery, increasing production over the first few years, from 36 barrels in 1821 to 161 in 1825.
Quinta do Caleiro is inherited by João Manuel Pereira da Silva and Sousa Mourão de Almeida Morais Pessanha, having gone through a period of growth to an average of 100 barrels by mid-century.
João de Almeida Morais Pessanha held important military and political positions, being commander of the national battalion of Vila Real, president of the Chamber of Sabrosa and member of the Chamber of Peers (he was appointed Peer of the Kingdom in 1842).
From the 1850s onwards, plagues, first powdery mildew and then phylloxera, provoked a deep crisis in the Douro.
Death of João de Almeida Morais Pessanha, who left Quinta do Caleiro and other properties to António de Almeida de Morais Pessanha.
In the entire parish of Gouvinhas, the harvest only yields around 20 barrels. At Quinta do Sol, the ruins of the old mansion recall those times of crisis.
From that time on, a titanic effort was made to recover the Douro vineyards, with the planting of American rootstocks and the grafting of regional grape varieties.
Costa de Cima was already one of the estates with the highest production of wine in the parish of Gouvinhas, yielding 50-100 barrels per year. Quinta do Sol, on the other hand, remains abandoned or without significant wine production.
This year they are both sold to Manuel Pinto Hespanhol, whose viticultural investments led to an annual production of around 150 barrels of wine.
In the 1950s, Quinta do Caleiro was mortgaged and later acquired by a member of the Pinto Pizarro family, who, living in Brazil, did not alter the state of abandonment of the estate.
In 1972, Quinta da Costa de Cima and Quinta do Sol were acquired by Mário Joaquim da Rocha Braga.
In 1995, Quinta do Caleiro was acquired by José Manuel Alves Teixeira, who invested his savings in converting the vineyards and renovating the houses.
After the death of Mário Braga in 1999, the sons began a process of rationalizing assets, for sustained growth.
In 2018 they sold the Gouvinhas properties (eight items, including Quinta da Costa de Cima and Quinta do Sol) to the investors Rubens Menin and Cristiano Gomes.
Rubens Menin and Cristiano Gomes join to Quinta da Costa de Cima and Quinta do Sol the Quinta do Caleiro, with 36 hectares.
“It was a long process of recovering centuries-old vineyards that were abandoned and with many flaws. We are replanting with exactly the same 54 varieties that are there, reinforcing the sustainability of our terroirs and protecting the diversity of grape varieties that reflect the identity of the Douro. It would be much easier to rip everything off, but that's not what we're aiming for. We want to invest all our efforts in preserving the old vines of the region”.
Cristiano Gomes
Administrator
