Terrabona Nature & Vineyards

Once upon a time there was an estate in the heart of the Laurissilva Forest, a World Heritage Site, with a 22-year-old abandoned vineyard. The new owners, Marco and Maria João, wanted to create an agri-tourism destination and, in 2016, decided to recover the vineyard and make wine to sell to their guests.

With professional help, they restored the vineyard using environmentally minded practices: no herbicides, organic for three quarters of the year and phytosanitary treatments only between April and August. As a result, they became "the first producer with licensed vineyards in integrated production".

Their first wine, in 2017, was a white from Arnsburger, a crossing of Riesling origin, with 10% Verdelho from the vineyards of Maria João's aunt. Friends loved it and, to "evaluate at the highest level" what everyone called wonderful, they entered London wine competitions and Robert Parker's evaluation. It proved that the wine was good and that "in Madeira you can make good white wines".

The project changed. The tourist units were reduced from six to five to preserve the vines, and the owners of Quinta do Cardo created a micro winery for three distinct wines, 1,500 bottles and no more, plus small lots in partnership with other producers in the region. The two former bankers keep total control of the grapes, selected berry by berry and harvested from 5 am, so that "every grape that goes into the winery is a good grape".

Tourism is now linked to the vineyard under the name Terra Bona Nature & Vineyards, and will stay small and almost handmade: one third of production for Lisbon and Porto, one third for the regional market and one third for themselves.

Thus was born the 'Terra Bona' Family Harvest, an unlikely story of a white wine from Madeira.