Fernando Pó, Palmela

The road to Fernando Pó, in the municipality of Palmela, where Casa Ermelinda Freitas is located, a family business, created in 1920 by Deonilde Freitas, is not exactly easy, so without the help of GPS technology, we would have some difficulty to get there.

The company is already in its fourth generation, always with a great feminine tradition in its management, after its creation by Deonilde Freitas, continued by Germana de Freitas and Ermelinda Freitas who gave the name to the company and now in its fourth generation by Leonor of Freitas, a major promoter of the brand, making this company, currently one of the great producers of the country, passing from the 60 hectares, with only two grape varieties, Castelão and Fernão Pires, for approximately 490 hectares and 29 grape varieties planted in its vineyards.

In addition to these hectares, the company has also rented more than 400 hectares of land, belonging to family members, elderly owners and others.

Being a company focused in business also has a social conscience like the project «The Life of a Wine», with the production of 1500 wine magnum bottles whose sale reverts to the elderly of Poceirão and Marateca.

Casa Ermelinda Freitas is a family business with a social intervention, close to the people of the region, constituting one of the great references of the county of Palmela, Setúbal region and even the country.

Previously to Leonor de Freitas, the company’s wines were not bottled, only produced and sold in bulk, so it was only in 1997 that the first wine produced and bottled by Casa Ermelinda Freitas, the Terras do Pó red wine, appeared.

Casa Ermelinda Freitas building is seen at long distance, surrounded by numerous vineyards.

At the destination on our way to the reception we passed by the vineyard, where there are vines of the various grapes varieties of the house, some surprising like, Petit Syrah, Carmenere, Pinot Noir, etc.

At certain times it serve for visitors to see the different grape varieties, types of berries, coloration etc.

We started in a room overlooking the winery where most of the prizes are exposed, about 1000, Angela Bruno tells us … very impressive, and on the same floor, is located the quality control laboratory.

The cellar has all the modern technology, stainless steel vats with fermentation capacity of 8 million liters with controlled temperature, French and American oak barrels for aging, all of 225 liters decided by the ethnologist, Jaime Quendera, for the best addition of tannins, bottling and packaging. The production currently involves around 14 million wines per year, 40% for the foreign market, especially Europe, namely Germany, Luxembourg and Poland.

Next to the wine cellar, there is the museum, on the upper floor of the cellar we can go through the history of Casa Ermelinda Freitas where are exposed bottles samples of all the references over time.

Entering the museum, we were a little surprised by the magnificence of the museum, the numerous familiar references exposed, the quantity of objects and materials, the first wines produced, all exposed, in a mixture of traditional and modern, with taste and preservation, the history and identity of this family business, which being new has not lost its oldest family roots.

The company now also invests on wine tourism, which begins to have many visits to its vineyards and facilities and events, such as weddings. The reservation is done by phone or on the company premises.

The Wines:

// Gewürztraminer

A very obvious lychees and roses aroma, in the mouth is light, soft but a little cloying.
This is a difficult grape,, a little strange and nauseating, for many people and also for us.
. Type: White Wine
. Grape: Gewürztraminer
. Alcohol Content: N/A
. Price: N/A
. Points: 14,5

// Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Very fruity aroma, even a little exaggerated, not very structured with a short end. It does not look like a sauvignon blanc, it would be difficult to identify it in a blind proof.
. Type: White Wine
. Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc
. Alcohol Content: 13%
. Price: 9€
. Points: 45

// Trincadeira 2015

Nice new oak wood aroma, with some body, elegant, but with too much wood present.
. Type: Red Wine
. Grapes: Trincadeira
. Alcohol Content: 14.5%
. Price: 9€
. Points: 55

// Quinta da Mimosa 2015

Ripe fruit aroma, plum, full bodied and with some sweetness but still green, young, giving a feeling of astringency. with tannins still to be tamed.
. Type: Red Wine
. Grapes: Castelão
. Alcohol Content: 14%
. Price: 9€
. Points: 55

// Alicante Bouschet 2015

Deep color, light fruity and oak aroma, structured with well integrated wood and with a balanced finishing.
. Type: Red Wine
. Grapes: Alicante Bouschet
. Alcohol Content: 14.5%
. Price: 9€
. Points: 55

// Moscatel Roxo – 0,5 l

A very pleasant honey aroma, in the mouth, elegant, harmonious, with sweetness, but without being cloying, a wine to remember.
. Type: Fortified
. Grapes: Moscatel Roxo
. Alcohol Content: 18.5%
. Price: 25€
. Points: 70

// Moscatel Setúbal

Citrus and some honey aroma, in the mouth, full and with a sweet ending balanced and fresh. A good representative of the muscatel of Setúbal with a good value for money.
. Type: Fortified
. Grapes: Moscatel
. Alcohol Content: N/D
. Price: 5€
. Points: 50

We would like to thank Mr. Vitor Santos and Angela Bruno for their availability, friendliness and professionalism, the way they received us, so we thank you very much.

CASA ERMELINDA FREITAS
Rua Manuel João Freitas, Fernando Pó, 2965-595 – Portugal
T: (+351) 300500435

w4p (FEB 2018)