Quinta do Cerrado da Porta

Located in the municipality of Sobral de Monte Agraço, in the Lisbon Wine Region, Quinta do Cerrado da Porta is a small family-run business. Perhaps that is what gives it the freedom to produce wines "out of the box", which draw from the soil and climate all the potential of a region privileged by its clay-limestone soils, slopes between 200 and 300 meters of altitude, cold nights, morning mists and the permanent action of the Atlantic winds. The white grapes come from vines planted in the coolest and windiest areas, resulting in wines of remarkable aroma and freshness. The red grape varieties, on the other hand, are located in the lowest and sunniest areas, capable of creating the water stress essential for good ripening in an Atlantic climate, producing aromatic wines, with well-balanced acidity, body and structure.

The Wine Estate
Quinta do Cerrado da Porta was acquired by its current owners in 1996. It was a property of about 3 hectares with an 18th century rural house in a very bad state of conservation. The recovery works were done in 3 phases and took about 5 years. But after the first phase of recuperation of the main building was finished, in 1999, the owners left Lisbon, where they lived, and moved to the Quinta with their two teenage sons. Both doctors, they continued to commute daily to the capital for their professional activity. Their children have since married and moved to Lisbon. Now it is the grandchildren who spend their weekends at the Quinta.

The Wine Production
Initially, of the 3 hectares of land surrounding the Quinta, about one hectare was occupied by vines. In 2011, with the creation of the agricultural company "Cerrado da Porta Lda", other lands were acquired and leased, and the Quinta was left with an exploitation area of 17 hectares, of which 14 are occupied by vineyards, most of them planted in 2012 and 2013. The varieties chosen were 3 white grape varieties (Chardonnay, Arinto and Moscatel Graúdo) and 5 red grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Merlot and Castelão). It was believed that these were the grape varieties best suited to the conditions of a very special terroir, with clay-limestone soils, very rugged terrain and a climate subject to cool nights, misty mornings and the action of the Atlantic winds.