Douro was famous for its archaeological characteristics before becoming known for its vineyards. In fact, several people lived in this region and discovered its subsoil richness, exploiting gold and tin which were both abundant and easy to extract by using rudimentary tools, characteristic of the Protohistorical Age.

The transition from tin to wine was quick and in the left bank of Pinhão River one may find the ancestral "Quinta do Estanho" named after the mineral which abounded there. After the exploitation of the subsoil, vineyards started to be cultivated.
Blood, sweat and tears were shed by our ancestors who cleared the land of steep hillsides. They built terraces and planted vines of noble grape varieties. Thanks to a good microclimate and to an altitude of 300 metres they produce nectars which allow "Quinta do Estanho" to be included in the first demarcation of "Vinhos de Feitoria". This naming was granted in 1757 by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, "Marquês de Pombal" and Prime-minister of the King D. José I.
Those were good times, up to the date when phylloxera descended on the region, destroying everything and leaving sadness and discouragement behind in a once rich farm. These days, one can only see the ruins of its house and wine-cellar. These two buildings are used as logo for the Quinta products.
In the second quarter of the 20th century, the lawyer Jaime Acácio Queiroz Cardoso comes back from Brazil and, influenced by the ancestral tradition of the family in vine cultivation and viticulture production, leads a change in the property. Showing strong will and with a lot of sacrifice and blood tears he has managed to rebuild the "Quinta do Estanho". He has granted it the features that characterise it today, mechanising it and planting selected wine varieties: Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Mourisco among red wines; Malvazia Fina, Malvazia Grossa, Gouveia and Rabigato among white wines.

In order to maintain the tradition, he is already teaching his children how to cultivate and produce the well-known "Quinta do Estanho" wines.

Even if Bacchus has “blessed” this farm, it is also true that this lawyer/farmer/wine producer knew well how to make the most of the family ancestral secrets, modernising them according to new technologies and producing wines that enrich the region due to their quality. They are already well-known by oenologists and wine-lovers both in Portugal and abroad.

We take the chance to give our thanks to Mr. Carlos Soeiro, Oenologist-Taster who has helped us in the making of wine taste note cards, and in giving credit to our wines.