STORY
It is very likely that this project would not exist without that memorable foursome tête-à-tête on a Summer night in 1999, when the decision to resume the wine production was taken. Twenty years had passed since the last harvest undertaken by Grandfather Zé Rovisco, in the late seventies, which was still fresh in everyone’s memory, and some of us were quite young...
August. The family, coming from Lisbon, gathered in Casa Branca for the regular Summer vacations and, in the surroundings, among other agricultural activities, it was possible to watch the hustle and bustle created by the harvest.
Grape ripening control - Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aragonês and Antão Vaz Recalling that last and fondly remembered harvest, mother and father, Beatriz Pais Rovisco and José de Castro Torres, challenge their sons, Diogo and Vasco, to relive their grandfather and his ancestor’s dream and to continue with the traditional agricultural project of the family, which was initiated in the nineteenth century by great Farmers in those fertile lands of Alentejo that have been resting and waiting for years to see new crops blossom..
Fermenting Mill
That night, the moonlight brightened the house's patio, as if projecting in the air the dream that was already becoming a reality — there was no turning back.
House built in 1898, the cellar in 1914, on the right
Together they projected the moment in which that beautiful idea, originating from their family’s tradition, would materialize in the present and future of the family. A toast to everyone!
Great Grandfather Martinho Rovisco Pais 1833-1881 Great-grandfather José Martinho Rovisco Pais 1875-1938 | Grandfather José Heitor Pais Rovisco 1914-1997 | Grandparents, Mother Beatriz Pais Rovisco Parents and Family 1952 | Father José de Castro Torres and Mother with grandson Vicente, today
Two generations holding hands, gathering forces and passions in order to witness the rebirth of the love for land cultivation, passing it on to the blessed, future generations.
São João Nepomuceno - Chapel erected around 1570
Drawn by the family history, willing and proud to fulfill its continuity, brothers Diogo and Vasco, by then newly graduated Architects, have been, ever since, totally devoted to agricultural production. As young farmers, they have immediately demonstrated to possess their ancestors’ DNA — and so the job satisfaction transforms the old dream into reality.
With the winemaker Engº Telmo Timóteo < / em>
In March 2000, the adventure begins once again and on that initial stage four hectares of new vineyards were planted, totaling twenty hectares. The small leaves grew, the first grape bunches showed themselves, and the good wines arose. All that inspired them to long for what they have also committed to — a well-deserved homage to the family and to the tradition.
Association of the Portuguese Sanctions, Lisbon 2016 - Silver Medal
Nowadays, the family project proceeds with an important viticulture and winemaking component, its planted vineyard area continues to grow into some estimated thirty hectares in 2023, and also with the investment in a touristic component, offering accomodation in the thirty three rooms of the house. The Wine Tourism component will be a reality in the near future.
Casa Rovisco Pais, 1898
Casa Rovisco Pais, 2020
Combining the quality wine’s production and the exclusive guest house, Pateo do Morgado offers a unique and distinct experience, deeply connected to the origins and the culture of Alentejo, and has yet countless stories to be told by its hosts. Here is a suggestion: by the fireplace, tasting a red wine!
Building classified by IPPAR as of Municipal Interest
The concept of Pateo do Morgado is distinctly familiar in nature, with an age-old history associated to great Farmers, that was created and continues to grow each day in the very same place where, over one hundred and thirty years ago, these ancestors of Rovisco Pais Family have planted the first vineyards, having initiated, at that moment, this viticulture and winemaking journey.
2015 Harvest
In 1914, the birth year of Grandfather Zé Rovisco, Great-Grandfather José Martinho Rovisco Pais (1875-1938) had a new cellar built which is, to this day, perpetuating that legacy and is now, in the twenty-first century, the place of production of Pateo do Morgado’s wines.
Pateo XXI