Morgado do Quintao 'Clarete' Negra Mole

Founded in the early 1810s by the 1st Count of Silves, Morgado do Quintão remains in the same family, now with the fourth generation. Since its beginning in 1810 the estate has remained our family, surviving with resilience over two centuries through a changing political landscape and during the 1980s and ’90s when many of the thriving Algarvian vineyards and agricultural land in the region were lost to the boom of tourism. It came to us in 2017 from our mother Teresa Pereira Caldas de Vasconcellos (1941-2017), an experimental contemporary artist and professor who through her creative exploration honed a deep connection to the land. Over the 200 years before her, Morgado do Quintão passed through the hands of over four generations, each of which made their own unique mark on the land and paved a path for the next. Our ancestors planted not only the vines but an important legacy in the Algarve, one which, over two centuries of industrial and agricultural evolution, has provided jobs and employment for hundreds of people, many of whom were a part of the estate for decades. It is these forefathers who played a significant part in shaping the economics of the region through their entrepreneurial spirit in wine and agriculture, as well as in the cork, fishing and canning industries, using their influence to sponsor philanthropic and social initiatives and providing funding for hospitals and schools to help to shape Algarvian communities. Today we strive to continue the work in our own projects in the region and beyond. By seizing an opportunity, and responding to a calling from the old vineyards, in just four years we have grown from 2.000 to 20.000 bottles produced annually. Today, our winemaking is deeply rooted in our attempt to show the richness of the Algarve’s terroir, to mark its identity in producing some of the most prized wine in the region. Beyond the vines, olive groves, and almond orchards here amongst the estate, we also open up our gates to people from around the world to stay in our old whitewashed vineyard cottages. We invite them to meet at our farmers’ table and taste our harvest so that they may experience our story first hand and help to contribute to our future, so that we may bring a different spotlight back to the Algarve, protect the heritage of the estate and indeed the region so that each may thrive for many more generations to come.