History

António Costa, my great-great-grandfather, came from the North of Portugal to settle in Elvas as a merchant in the early 19th century. Coming from a farming background, he decided to invest his earnings in buying rural real estate and by the end of the century he owned a significant amount of property. Grapes were the principal crop in the Quinta do Garro area at the time. With the arrival of the Phylloxera blight, however, the vineyards were replaced by olive groves. That is why, until recently, olive groves predominated at the Quinta do Garro and surrounding farms.

Part of my great-grandfather´s properties, including this estate, was passed down to his daughter Eugénia Emilia who, in turn, passed it down to her niece, Guilhermina Amélia, my paternal grandmother. Quinta do Garro has, therefore, been in our family for five generations.

The estate lies on deep calcareous bedrock that is rich in water, which gives the property an extra quality potential. The Varche River runs through the estate and, in addition to the olive groves, there are centenary walnuts and a variety of fruit trees. Former mines store water and keep the property cool. As a result it often served as a summer vacation spot for the family in times gone by.

With the enthusiastic and competent support of a good friend, winemaker Nuno Cancela de Abreu, we stepped back in time to 1883 and began to plant vines. We currently have 5.35 hectares of vineyards with Syrah, Petit Syrah, Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet grapes that are carefully nurtured to produce the Quinta do Garro red wine.

Share