Why it matters
The producer
António Cardoso Pinto initiated the family project after visiting the property. Rita, his eldest daughter, manages it today. The estate surrounds a seventeenth century manor house beside a traditional cellar, giving the project a physical centre in Merceana.
Quinta do Pinto favours minimal intervention and careful grape handling. The winery receives bunches on a sorting carpet, presses them, ferments in concrete tanks and includes an oak barrel ageing area and tasting room. All fermentations use indigenous yeasts.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Quinta do Pinto sits at Merceana in the Lisbon Wine Region, with its postal address in Aldeia Galega da Merceana, Alenquer. The ocean is 20 kilometres away, and the vineyards grow in a moderate maritime climate with Mediterranean characteristics. Average annual rainfall is 700 millimetres.
The ground is Jurassic clay limestone with a clay loam texture and pH between 7 and 7.5. Maritime influence can preserve freshness during ripening, while clay limestone provides the physical base for the vines.
Wines to know
The range in view
The red range places Estate Collection beside a Merlot and Syrah blend, a Touriga Nacional Reserva and a Tinta Miúda Limited Edition. Estate Collection is the blended red, while the Reserva and Limited Edition are single variety wines.
Published descriptions of the Estate Collection Red disagree on the blend count. Wine Enthusiast counts six grapes, three Portuguese and three French, while Curry Wines gives a list of five varieties. The proportions and the sixth grape remain unclear.