Herdade do Mouchao is a historic winery in Portugal’s Alentejo region that specialises in producing excellent red wines from the local Alicante Bouschet grape. The estate’s roots date back to the 19th century when Thomas Reynolds first moved from Porto to Alentejo to enter the prosperous cork-making industry. Later his grandson, John Reynolds saw an opportunity to start making both wine and corks and purchased the 900 hectare Herdade do Mouchao estate. Vineyards were planted, in 1901 he built a high-ceilinged adobe winery (or “adega”) and a distillery was added to the winery in 1929, where until today Mouchão’s pommace brandy is produced.
Unfortunately the estate was seized in 1974 by order of the powerful military government ruling the country at the time. The Reynolds were only able to regain the estate in 1985 and today the family works around 38 hectares of vines.
Today, the Herdade do Mouchão continues to be run by the descendants of the original family whose cellar and vineyard workers have been with them for generations. The process is, as it always has been, unhurried (There is alway Manana). The grape varieties are local, picked by hand and foot-trodden. In the ever-changing world of winemaking, Herdade do Mouchão, remains a traditional, family-run winery.
