Since 1751, the Ferreira name has always been synonymous with high-quality Portuguese wine. The brand's history is intertwined with the history of the evolution of the Douro Region (demarcated in 1756) and its Porto and table wines (Douro DOC).
The Ferreira family patriarch - who already owned vineyards that subsequently became a part of the Douro Specified Region - started his business in the mid eighteenth century. However, the company's foundations stem from the actions of his grandsons, José Bernardo and António Bernardo in the early nineteenth century, when they added considerably to the land they had inherited.
The marriage between their offspring, cousins António Bernardo II and Antónia Adelaide, would, in the next generation, consolidate a unique heritage and indelibly mark Ferreira's future.
Twice widowed, Dona Antónia did not merely manage an inheritance. She took over the business at 33, strengthening and expanding it thanks to her entrepreneurial spirit and charisma. She is still remembered in Portugal for her sound business ethics and as an example of good practice. Endowed with exceptional energy and a rare commercial talent, she gave great impetus to wine-growing in Douro and was well-known for her acts of social welfare in the region. Her intelligence and kindness earned her the warm admiration of her contemporaries, who affectionately nicknamed her "Ferreirinha" (little Ferreira).
After she died, the business became a limited company and began a new phase of adjusting and expanding to meet the needs of the times. Maintaining its core values - rooted in quality with its unique collection of estates in the Douro, the company has always supported the best œnological methods to produce excellent wines under one strong brand. These values have carried Ferreira into the 21st century and were instrumental in creating wines such as the legendary Barca Velha in the 1950's.
Today, more than 250 years later, Ferreira is one of "the Portuguese brands", one of the benchmark in excellent quality Porto and Douro wines, one of the symbol of a country and a culture it proudly honours.
During the first two weeks of November come and have a free taste of some of the Ferreira Port Wines that we at the shop in Lisbon, at Rua da Betesga, during the normal opening hours!
