Founded in 1901, the winery from which Herdade do Mouchão's 'robust but profoundly elegant wines' continue to emerge exudes a historical legacy whose roots go back to the early 18th century. Although at the time the Reynolds family, whose sixth generation now runs the estate, had landed in Porto from England to export olive oil, honey, wool, cork and wine, it was only a few years before they moved to the south of the country to invest heavily in the cork industry.
Destined to become the home and stronghold of the Reynolds' business from then on, as Hamilton Reis explains, Herdade do Mouchão would, however, go down in the history of wine production in Portugal, thanks to a "happy coincidence of factors". "In 1870, when the family decided to give the wine business a new lease of life, two professors from the University of Montpellier arrived at the estate, who found in the terroir and climate of Mouchão the perfect conditions for a new variety of vine that had been created in France to flourish: the alicante bouschet variety," says the winemaker. The rest is history condensed into wines of "great strength and depth, but which balance all this with an enormous concentration of natural acidity", allowing Herdade do Mouchão wines to "live forever" once in the bottle, says Hamilton Reis.
Led by laia Reynolds, the company's current CEO, Herdade do Mouchão also stands out as a company that has been able to keep up with the most significant historical events of the last 120 years. "Herdade do Mouchão already existed when the railway network began to be installed in Portugal.
We've been through two major wars, through April 25th, and we've managed to maintain our identity and our business to this day. In the archives of the Expresso newspaper, there will be no shortage of references to Herdade do Mouchão over the years," says Hamilton Reis proudly.
Because exporting "has always been part of the DNA of the Reynolds family and Herdade do Mouchão", internationalization remains one of the company's priorities, without forgetting the domestic market, notes the Oenology manager. "Currently, 50% of our business goes to exports and 50% to the Portuguese market".
In the wine sector, where the weight of tradition is undeniable, Herdade do Mouchão is not shying away from prioritizing "less and less interventionist" production processes. At the forefront of technological evolution, the company also has Altice as its telecommunications partner, which has contributed to "connecting Herdade do Mouchão to the world", concludes Hamilton Reis.