Our history

1921

From Mozelos to Paris

The story of the vineyards where Pinalta is made today began with the birth of Edmundo Alves Ferreira in Mozelos, Portugal.

Born into a poor family, Edmundo left Portugal at the age of 14, with only four years of schooling, to find work. He arrived in Paris in 1921, taking any job that would earn him enough to eat.

Edmundo missed his family, however, and soon decided to return to Portugal. With no money, he walked the more than 1,600 km from Paris to Mozelos: a remarkable effort for anyone, especially a child.

1927 — 1958

Cork and the Douro

Back in Portugal, Edmundo began working with cork, one of the finest natural materials. In 1927 he founded Edmundo Alves Ferreira, Cortiças, in Lourosa, around 30 km south of Porto. The company remains in the family. Producing a wide range of cork products and exporting around the world, the business prospered, allowing Edmundo to buy vineyards in the Douro. Between 1955 and 1958 he acquired Quinta de Ventozelo, Macedos and Roncão, renowned estates in the region covering a total of 800 hectares.

1958 — 1986

António and the estates

In 1927, the same year he started his company, Edmundo married Olívia. Together they raised nine children. António was born in 1935 and, while studying Economics at the University of Porto, showed an early interest in his father's business and began working alongside him. In 1958 his father sent him to manage the Douro estates. Enchanted by the region's spectacular beauty, António soon fell in love with the Douro and bought two properties of his own: Quinta da Covada and Quinta das Cecegas, totalling 48 hectares. In 1986 he planted 20 hectares of new vineyards at Quinta da Covada.

1981 — 2004

The next generation

Spending much of his time in the Douro did not prevent António from starting a family. In 1959 he married Maria. The eldest of their three children, Maria de Fátima, worked alongside her father in the cork factory. Fátima also married, and in 1981 Hugo Ferreira Guimarães, Edmundo's great-grandson, was born. As António's only grandchild for 12 years, Hugo followed in his grandfather's footsteps. His school in Lourosa was close to the cork factory, where he spent many hours and developed a strong interest in machinery. Although he graduated in Mechatronics Engineering in 2004, Hugo felt that his mother and grandfather needed him in the family cork business. After converting a building into student accommodation, he turned his attention 120 km east, towards the estates in the Douro.

2004

Pinalta is born

With 30 hectares producing 50 tonnes of grapes a year, the family had an abundant supply of fruit. Yet income from the traditional business of selling all the grapes to the major Port houses barely covered the estates' running costs. Recognising this, Hugo challenged his grandfather António to produce their own Douro wine brand. Pinalta was born in 2004. The first step was to restore the old, 200-year-old lagar so that wine could be made there. A 10,000-litre tank also had to be bought. Starting the project with no money, an interesting family tradition, Hugo sold his own car to his mother to get it off the ground.

PINALTA · DOURO

The family wine

Drawing on decades of grape-growing experience, the family business could now select excellent grapes for its red DOC wine and ensure that the same grapes would be available year after year.

The original wine was described as concentrated and very smooth, with spicy notes: a blend of three traditional Port grape varieties, 60% Touriga Franca, 20% Tinta Roriz and 20% Tinta Barroca. Unfiltered and fermented in a schist lagar, it could reach an alcohol content of 17%.

The result was an elegant wine to accompany dinner, particularly pork and beef.

Enjoy…