MOUCHAO E CAVACA DOURADA S.A.

About Winery and Wines

If there's one name that inspires respect in Alentejo, it's Herdade do Mouchão. Everyone speaks with admiration and affection for this historic house, a symbol of consistency, sustentability, character, and loyalty to the region's origins and his peoples.

Herdade do Mouchão was one of dozens of estates where the Reynolds family produced cork, and it is likely that there were already vines on the estate by that time.

Built in 1901, the winery still maintains all the traditions and crafting methods of that time.

Wines were sold in bulk until 1949 when Albert “Bouncer” Reynolds bottled the first wine at Mouchão.

The 1954 harvest marked the debut of the “Mouchão” label and was also the first to receive recognition in the capital.

With the Revolution of 1974, the estate was expropriated, only returning to the hands of the Reynolds in 1986, already in an advanced state of abandonment.

Extensive restoration and regeneration was carried out by Bouncers’ daughter and son-in-law – Babette and Iain Richardson – and by his grandson, Iain Reynolds Richardson, the 6th generation of the Reynolds family in the Alentejo.

Today, all the products that Thomas Reynolds initially traded, continue to be produced at Mouchão and the estate is flourishing.

At Herdade do Mouchão, sustainability is the cornerstone of our business. From the organic production of wines, olive oils, honey, and cork to the raising of lambs, to our commitment to biodiversity and the local community, every step is designed with the future in mind.

Mouchão’s winery is nestled in one of the estate’s valleys, surrounded by vineyards and shaded by tall eucalyptus trees. 

Dating back to 1901 the substantial whitewashed adobe walls and high, chestnut-beamed ceilings shelter nine open stone troughs, known as lagares, four manual basket presses, dozens of century-old wooden vats, and a large wood-fired copper still – all continue to be used to this day.

The neutrality and porosity of the old, used wood provide perfect ageing conditions for the wine to express its terroir.

It is in hot and dry climates that Alicante Bouschet best expresses itself.  This noble variety thrives in the deep, alluvial, well-drained soils of the valley floors of Mouchão.  These conditions are unique and irreplicable throughout the Alentejo. 

Approximately half the grapes produced on the property are Alicante Bouschet.  Other varieties such as Trincadeira, Aragonez, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Verdelho and Syrah are also grown on the estate, largely on shallower, more skeletal, gravelly soils.

Of the estate’s 900 hectares only 45 of the most fertile, have been dedicated to viticulture, best expressing the exceptional terroir.

In exceptional years, and without ever compromising the production of the emblematic Mouchão wine, the best harvest of Alicante Bouschet is reserved to also produce Mouchão Tonel 3 - 4, a rare wine that expresses the purest essence of the variety and terroir.