Herdade do Mouchão

In April 1974 the military dictatorship in Portugual seized this famous Alentejo estate and the Reynolds and Richardson families were evicted from their lands. They had to wait 12 years before Herdade do Mouchao was returned to them in 1986. The estate has 32 hectares of vines planted mostly with Alicante Bouschet from their own pioneering cuttings (long-lived, powerful, enchanting wines with an engaging personality and plenty of energy). The farm also grows small quantities of Aragonés, Trincaderia and Moreto, Touriga Nacional and Syrah

In the vineyards, modern techniques, such as spray irrigation to ensure frost protection, are employed, whilst in the winery traditional techniques are adhered to - the grapes are received in large open lagares where they are hand crushed and delivered down chutes to be foot troden. Production here is small and Iain Richardson, who runs the estate, is unable to meet the majority of orders he receives for his extraordinary wine.