Casal Da Azenha Branco

Description

This house was founded in 1898 by António Bernardino da Silva Chitas in Azenhas do Mar. In its early years, sales were mainly concentrated in the Lisbon area and on large‑scale exports to Brazil. After him, his son—also named António Bernardino da Silva Chitas Jr.—took over, and today his grandson, António Bernardino Paulo da Silva, runs the business. Today sales are not only in the domestic market but also a large proportion of exports to several European countries and the United States. The company takes pride in the numerous awards it has won—over 60, including gold and silver medals and honorable mentions—in national and international competitions, highlighting the quality of its wines and its various brands: Colares Chitas, Casa da Azenha, Carunchosa, Ribamar, and Paulo da Silva Garrafeiras. In 1994 the current owner, the founder’s grandson, acquired an emblematic building in the Colares wine region: the Visconde de Salreu Cellars. Built in 1920, the warehouse originally stored the wines in large casks. In the 1960s its storage capacity was expanded to about a million litres with the construction of large tanks. (Illustrative image only)