Casa Ferreirinha

The history of Casa Ferreirinha is inextricably linked to an extraordinary woman. 

Little Ferreira lady created at Ferrari speed

Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira was born in 1811 in the country town of Régua, the gateway to the wine-growing regions of the Douro Valley. Although small in stature and reserved by nature, Dona Antónia was charismatic, visionary and entrepreneurial. She created new areas of terraced vineyards, increased and improved the company's stock of old wines, and helped improve the hard lives of local farming families by establishing schools, kindergartens and hospitals. The locals loved her so much that they gave her the little nickname "A Ferreirinha" - "the little Ferreira lady." When she died in 1896, she left a remarkable legacy in the Douro and a thriving business.

Casa Ferreirinha - Taking the big leap

Half a century later, Casa Ferreirinha took the great leap of faith and began making unfortified wines. This had been the dream of Fernando Nicolau de Almeida, who joined the company early in his career and rose to become technical director. His goal was to produce elegant, high-quality Douro wines with the aging potential of Vintage Port. He took the best grapes from the Douro Superior, rich and structured, and combined them with grapes obtained at high altitudes to obtain acidity and aroma. Barca-Velha was born in 1952, an iconic wine that has since been made only in the very best years and is still revered as one of Portugal's most long-lived, elegant and complex wines.

Creative viticulture

The rise and development of Casa Ferreirinha has always been based on exemplary, creative viticulture and winemaking. Starting in 1979, the production base was expanded with the planting of a new vineyard in Quinta da Leda, a source of grapes that has since increased and improved Casa Ferreirinha 's production. Today, under the direction of winemaker Luís Sottomayor, Casa Ferreirinha 's wines range from the young, easy-drinking Esteva and Planalto to the richer Papa Figos, Vinha Grande and Callabriga to the exceptional Quinta da Leda, Antónia Adelaide Ferreira and Reserva Especial, with Barca-Velha still at the top of the tree.

And these are the grape varieties of winery Casa Ferreirinha: 

• Tempranillo
• Tinta Barroca
• Touriga Franca
• Touriga Nacional
• Arinto
• Codega do Larinho
• Moscatel
• Rabigato
• Viosinho