"Sete Séculos de Vindimas" is the new signature of Quinta do Gradil wines, which comes with a new identity. Inspired by landmarks in its history, the wine producer in Lisbon, aligns its image with the recognition it has won for the excellent wines it produces, contributing to raise the region's notoriety.
The new identity will live in all the brand's materializations, having started with the image of some wines and will extend until the beginning of next year with the launch of wines from the upper ranges, a new website and a communication campaign in social networks, television and billboards.
This rebranding is part of a strong investment oriented towards the future of the company, but which began with a rigorous historical survey, which inspired the entire process and protects, for future memory, the centuries-old connection to Quinta do Gradil wine. Likewise, he revealed the relationship of the Marqueses de Pombal family with the property, since until now little was known more than a stone of arms affixed to the pediment of the main façade, which attested to this connection.
It is recalled that in 2019, the year in which 20 years were under the management of Luís Vieira, work began on the main house of the property, an imposing eclectic architectural construction in the style, so much to the taste of the mid-eighties. The building, which serves as the base structure for wine tourism initiatives and other events, has been rehabilitated, followed by the construction of a new cellar basement on the ground floor of the Palace.
"I always said that our purpose was greater than just producing quality wines," says Luís Vieira, Quinta do Gradil administrator. “Twenty years ago, we started by taking the first steps on the ground, through the recovery of old vineyards and the planting new ones, as well as creating the conditions to have a good winery and a professional and ambitious team. Today I know that it was necessary to follow this path, the bases were laid, but the experience came with time. a producer of excellence who contributes decisively to a renewed image of the wines of the Lisbon region ”, concludes the head of the company.
History and Wines hand in hand
Quinta do Gradil's history is reflected in its new wines. Each reference, from the entry-level wines to the top of the pyramid is the expression of part of its history, from the documented origin, in the 15th century, to the present day. “The new Quinta do Gradil Wines stand out for their very own identity, born out of respect for the full expression of the grape varieties, in a privileged context, with Atlantic and orographic influence from the Quinta.”, Says Tiago Correia, Quinta do Gradil Winemaker .
The oldest references to Quinta do Gradil date back to February 14, 1492. In the 16th century, it was a royal hunting ground, with a vast fauna abounding there. Naturally, those lands have always produced grapes and wine, but it was only in the 17th century that it became a determining economic activity, with the city of Lisbon being the main destination for production. In the 18th century, the importance and quality of the wine produced there were such that the municipality of Cadaval ended up escaping the general grubbing up of vineyards determined by D. José, to favor the culture of cereals and, on the other hand, the interests of the Marquis of Pombal in the Douro. After many complaints from local farmers, a 1769 survey recognized that the county's soils were much more suited to producing good wines than bread. And so the vineyards were saved. The 19th century would be marked by Dona Maria do Carmo Romeiro da Fonseca. She inherited the Quinta da Gradil, acquired by her father, built the imposing yellow palace and transformed the property into a model farm, where wine played the main role. Curiously, her daughter would eventually marry the future Marquis of Pombal, a descendant of the same Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo who a century earlier had tried to uproot the vineyards from the Gradil. Today, it is his stone of arms that tops the facade of the palace.
The Quinta remained in the hands of the Marquises of Pombal throughout much of the 20th century, until it was sold, in 1963, to a society led by Isidoro Maria d'Oliveira, a farmer, a man of culture and a poet. Wine, of course, continued to be the main player there and to supply the growing market in Lisbon. The 21st century is the century of Luís Vieira. With a family history linked to the wine trade, he learned from his grandfather António Gomes Vieira, known as Ganita, all the secrets of the business. Leader of Parras Wines, one of the largest wine groups in Portugal, Luís Vieira bought Quinta do Gradil in 1999 knowing from the beginning what he wanted to do: make it the flagship of his company. To this end, he invested in the total rehabilitation of the vineyard, in the construction of reference brands, in the positioning in a higher segment and in the development of an integrated e