Quinta De Sant'ana Merlot Tinto

Description

Quinta do Gradil, regarded as one of the oldest—if not the oldest—estates in Cadaval, bears centuries‑old historical marks and stands as a significant architectural landmark. The earliest documentary references to the Quinta date back to the late 15th century in a royal document. On 14 February 1492, D. Martinho de Noronha received from D. João II a donation letter granting jurisdiction and revenues of Cadaval and the Quinta do Gradil. When D. Manuel I ascended the Portuguese throne and acted in favour of the Bragança family, the Quinta is cited in the confirmation of a donation from D. Manuel I to D. Álvaro de Bragança, younger brother of the third Duke of Bragança, D. Fernando II, who—accused of treason—was ordered to be executed by D. João II in 1483. The estate was likely acquired by the Marquess of Pombal’s family during a movement that, from 1760 onward, led to the occupation of municipal lands, presumably already cultivated with vines—a fact decisive for the statesman behind the founding of the Companhia das Vinhas do Alto Douro. It remained in family hands until the mid‑20th century, when it was purchased by Sampaio de Oliveira. The current owner, Luís Vieira, acquired it in the late 1990s. Historic remnants include a Pombaline palace, a chapel, a mill, a granary, a stone aqueduct, a water source, a water tank, and the imposing cellar. (Illustrative image only).