Founded in 1920 by Deonilde Freitas, and continued by Germana Freitas and later by Ermelinda Freitas, the company has always had a special interest in wine. On the early death of her husband, Manuel João de Freitas, Ermelinda took on the running of the company. In this she was helped by her only child, her daughter Leonor, who although untrained in the art of wine making took charge of the company, consolidating the already firmly female profile of the existing management structure.
The company has, from its very beginnings, made the quality of its vineyards and wines a top priority. When the company first started, wines were produced and sold wholesale and unbranded. It was the current management that decided to take on the challenge that is involved in creating an own brand wine. 1997 was the year of the company’s new beginning in wine making, with red wine “Terras do Pó tinto”, being the first to be produced and bottled on the premises of the Ermelinda Freitas winery.
Achievement
On 10 June 2009 Leonor Freitas was awarded the Order of Merit for Agriculture, Commerce and Industry for the work she has carried out in this area, receiving the rank of Commander of Agricultural Merit from His Excellency the President of the Republic of Portugal, Aníbal Cavaco Silva.
Ermelinda Freitas currently owns 240 hectares of vineyard, 60% of them planted with the Castelão variety (known in the area of Palmela as “Periquita”), 30% red varieties such as Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira, Syrah, Aragonês, Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Franca, Merlot and Petit Verdot, and 10% of white varieties such as Fernão Pires, Chardonnay, Arinto, Verdelho, Sauvignon Blanc and Moscatel de Setúbal. This is an extraordinary location for producing wines, and some of the best wines of this region are in fact produced here.