Casa Ermelinda Freitas

Founded in 1920 by Deonilde Freitas, and continued by Germana Freitas and later by Ermelinda Freitas, the company always had a special interest in wine. Due to the early death of her husband, Manuel João de Freitas, Ermelinda gave continuity to the company with the collaboration of her only daughter, Leonor, who, although had training outside the wine area, took over the leadership of the company, thus reinforcing the feminine presence in its management.

The company has, from its very beginnings, made the quality of its vineyards and wines a top priority. When the company first started, wines were produced and sold wholesale and unbranded. It was the current management that decided to take on the challenge that is involved in creating an own-brand wine. 1997 was the year of the company's new beginning in winemaking, with red wine "Terras do Pó Tinto", being the first to be produced and bottled on the premises of the Ermelinda Freitas winery.

Leonor Freitas inherited 60 ha of the vineyard made up of just two grape varieties, Castelão and Fernão Pires, located in Fernando Pó in the region of Palmela, Setúbal. Seeking to innovate and make improvements, she took the decision to introduce a much wider range of grape varieties, which included Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional, Aragonês, Syrah, and Alicante Bouschet, amongst others.

Ermelinda Freitas currently owns 440 hectares of vineyard, 60% of them planted with the Castelão variety (known in the area of Palmela as "Periquita"), 30% red varieties such as Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira, Syrah, Aragonês, Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Franca, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, and 10% of white varieties such as Fernão Pires, Chardonnay, Arinto, Verdelho, Sauvignon Blanc, and Moscatel de Setúbal.

This is an extraordinary location for producing wines, and some of the best wines of the region of Setúbal are in fact produced here.