Our Philosophy

Over the last three decades and with the greatest care we have established Quinta das Marias as an exclusive winery planted solely with indigenous grape varieties. Our wines reflect the elegance, profundity and finesse, which can only be found in the Dão thanks to its outstanding climate  and its extraordinary terroir. As a family business, we value uncompromising quality above all else. It is because of precisely this that we can compete for the preference of the most demanding wine lovers in the global market.

Peter and Elisabeth Eckert

The Quinta

The Story

In the 80s I managed the subsidiary of the Zurich Insurance Group in Portugal. During my frequent business trips throughout the country I grew very fond of the Dão region around Viseu. In 1991, my wife Elisabeth and I bought four hectares of abandoned land and a house, which resembled a ruin more than a habitable dwelling, in Oliveira do Conde. We called the farm «Quinta das Marias» as Elisabeth and our three daughters, Ester, Isabel and Julia, all have Maria as one of their names.

Firstly, we employed António Coelho Lopes as our caretaker, bought a tractor and planted two hectares of new vines. Thanks to the purchase of additional, bordering land we have since reached twelve hectares. It was important to us that we were not only investors: we wanted to work with our hands and create wine ourselves. With the aid of Eng.  António Narciso and hard work, I taught myself to become the «Winemaker» of Quinta das Marias.

Legal requirements oblige us to only use grapes of our own production. These grapes are looked after with the greatest care, from the first pruning in winter right up to the harvest. From the very start, there was a clear determination and obligation to only produce wines of the highest quality. We believe that they should represent the Dão’s typical elegance and therefore withstand  tough global competition.

We produced our first good wines in 1998. In 1999, Quinta das Marias already won a gold medal in the competition of the Dão DOC authority. The biggest highlight to date was the awarding of “Best Single-Variety Wine of the Year” for the Touriga-Nacional Reserva 2011 at the Portugal Wine Challenge – the most important wine competition in the country.

In 2012, the famous Portuguese wine journalist Rui Falcão wrote in the magazine «Fugas» about Quinta das Marias: «The story of the family Eckert shows eloquently how passion overrides reason, how a dream commands life and how love and passion can overcome all obstacles … In no time Quinta das Marias reached the top of the hierarchy of the Dão and serves as a great reference and role model in the region.»

The Facts

Founded 1991

Position Quinta das Marias lies embedded between Serra de Caramulo and Serra de Estrela in the heart of the Dão – Portugal’s oldest DOC region. (DOC = Denominação de Origem Conotrolada)

District Viseu, Municipality Carregal do Sal Freguesia Oliveira do Conde

Climate Ideal for the cultivation of premium wine: cool and rainy winters, dry summers with hot days and cool nights (with up to 20° difference in temperature).

Soil Deep granite soil. No irrigation.

Average Harvest White: 4,000l/hectares , Red: 3,500l/hectares

Size

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Vineyards 12ha

Production

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Bottles

White Varieties

Encruzado 83%
Uva-Cão 6%
Gouveio 6%
Barcelo 5%

Red Varieties

Touriga Nacional 49%
Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) 31%
Alfrocheiro 10%
Jaen (Mencia) 9%

The People

Elisabeth and Peter Eckert, Owners

Elisabeth Eckert is responsible for the property of the Quinta. From the almost entirely dilapidated house she has created a rustic home for both the whole family, and the many guests and visitors. She accompanies Peter Eckert to countless fairs and tastings. During the Vindima she looks after the wellbeing of the helpers and she also lends a hand with bottling and labelling.

Peters Eckert is responsible for the production of our wines. His favourite time of the year is the Vindima – the harvest. But he also spends a lot of time in the wine cellar throughout the year. He loves manual labour such as pumping, filtering, arranging perfect blends and tasting. «This is completely different to my previous work in insurance. Back then, everything was abstract; today everything is clear and specific.»

Victor Lopes
Farm Manager

Victor joined Quinta das Marias in January 2013. Initially he worked in multiple roles, with a focus on logistics and administration. After the sudden death of his father António Coelho Lopes, who played a major part in the building up of Quinta das Marias from the very beginning in 2014, Victor had to follow in his father’s footsteps earlier than anticipated. Today, Victor Lopes represents Peter Eckert when absent, takes care of the distribution of work, personnel, logistics and a great part of the administration.

Eng. Luís Lopes
Our new Enologist

As from the 1s of August 2018, Luís joined our team as the new responsible Enologist of Quinta das Marias. After his studies in Portugal, he gained additional experiences in France, Germany and New Zealand. For the last eight years, he worked as Enologist with a sizeable Dão wine producer. We are very pleased to have Luís with us as he brings new ideas and great experience and we wish him all a warm welcome !

Fátima Ventura
Member of staff

After many years of part time work we have employed Fátima Ventura as a full time member of our team. Fátima represents the „female quota“ of the team. We can rely on Fatima to do any job that needs doing and we could not imagine the Quinta without her.

Ricardo Pereira
Member of staff

Ricardo has been well integrated in his first year and is now predominantly responsible for the machinery and supports Eng. Luis Lopes in the cellar.

Wines

Encruzado

Dão DOC

For almost 15 years we have been producing a wine made 100% out of the indigenous Encruzado grape. It was the beginning of a story for us and for all our faithful customers and friends. Every year we would like to increase the number of fans for this wine, therefore working carefully to maintain the genuine profile of this grape variety in its region, the Dão.

As a delicate variety while young, the Encruzado shows its full potential for many years in the bottle.

Fact Sheets

Barricas

Dão DOC

After the success of the last vintage, we decided to maintain the blend of grapes with the Encruzado as the main contributor. To complement our successful white “Premium” profile, we have privileged the fermentation in French oak and the ageing on thin lees but for a shorter period than in the previous year.

We are very pleased with the result, as we have achieved a good balance between fruit, acidity and volume in the palate.

Fact Sheets

Rosé

Dâo DOC

Our 2019 Rosé is a refreshingly fruity, crisp wine with precisely the right touch of summer sweetness. It’s the perfect choice for those hot days spent by the pool, and cool nights shared with friends around the dinner table. Capturing our continued passion for crafting truly memorable wines, its balanced flavour will delightfully linger in your thoughts long after summer has gone.

Fact Sheets

Lote

Dão DOC

The Lote is the traditional “Real Blend”, combining the expression of tradition with the identity of the Dão. Made from the four red grape varieties planted in our Quinta: Touriga-Nacional, Tinta-Roriz, Jaen e Alfrocheiro.

Our Lote is a gastronomic wine that well accompanies your daily meal.

Fact Sheets

Alfrocheiro

Dão DOC

Alfrocheiro is a very sought after specialty of our Quinta. We  share this appreciation because it revives our fondest memories of our Dão wine region. We believe that Alfrocheiro is at the same time our salt, our aromatic herbs and pepper, recognizing a striking and unique profile with an attractive aroma and flavour, as elegant as it is intense.

Fact Sheets

Cuvée TT Reserva

Dão DOC

This well-matched modern blend of Touriga-Nacional and Tinta-Roriz (Tempranillo), combines the structure and aromas of one with the consistency and longevity of the other. A superbly gastronomic wine!

Fact Sheets

Touriga Nacional Reserva

Dão DOC

This versatile variety never fails but will always surprise us! From one year to the other, we work on our 3 distinctive plots to understand their identity. In each harvest, Nature leads us to the best of the three. In 2016, the best grapes came from the “Porto” plot, due to its exposure and the availability of water in the soil that helped the maturation to be long and regular, creating a good balance between acidity, color and tannins.

Fact Sheets

Just like one thinks out of the box, we are thinking

Out of the Bottle

The name itself motivates us to look beyond, question the ordinary, think laterally and create something new and exceptional. With our Out of the bottle wines we would like to showcase the Dão’s unique purity, climate, terroir, grapes and unconventional low intervention winemaking. We would like to demonstrate the possibility of creating something special within the wide spectrum of avant-garde and past.

It is important to us that our new collection is free of ideology and does not carry the stamp of fashion approval.

CRUDUS

Dão DOC 

„Crudus“ is an „Out of the bottle“ wine, the first in a collection of wines that will be released with the mission of transmitting the unparalleled purity of the Dão region. Mainly, it is a wine crafted to give pleasure. But it is also an image that appeals to the vanguard and the ancestors.

Fact Sheets

Vinho do Ovo

Dão DOC 

„Out of the bottle“ is a collection of wines launched with the mission to convey the unequalled purity of the Dão region. These wines are the result of trials and considerations, with a frank and detailed approach to cultivation processes, grape varieties or practices, which enhance the profile of the grape variety, the region and the producer.

In this edition we have focused our work on the texture and depth of mouth in a wine, emphasising the palate, combining it with the subtle tannins of a long maceration.

Fact Sheets

Barcelo

Dão DOC 

Barcelo is one of several grape varieties present in the old vineyards of the Dão region. It’s characterised by being intriguing in that it is as discreet aromatically as it is vibrant and textured. We can say that this wine is one of the main „fruits“ of our mini „laboratory winery“. We have noticed, year after year, that this wine needs a short ageing period in barrels and later a long period on the lees, but in stainless steel. But these and other conclusions are only the beginning of our learning process and will surely delight those who seek to drink unique and exciting wines.

Fact Sheets

CONTACT

Peter Eckert – Vinhos Lda.
Oliveira do Conde
3430 – 364 Carregal do Sal
Portugal

Phone: +351 93 580 70 31
E-mail »

LOCATION

GPS 40.442634, -7.967985
Google Maps »

Error on Google Maps: The A35 is correctly called IC12



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