The wines of Cartuxa are produced within the Alentejo sub-region of Évora and have long been the stuff of legends. Indeed, Pêra-Manca has a long pedigree that is intertwined with Portuguese history. Not only were the wines from the “Pêra-Manca region” first mentioned in a letter from Évora Town Council to King João II in 1488, but they were also aboard Pedro Álvares Cabral’s ship when he discovered Brazil in 1500.

More recently, in 2021, Vivino, the world's largest online wine market, asked its 54 million users which was the Number 1 wine in the world, and it was not DRC or Rousseau, or a 1st Growth Bordeaux, but Pera Manca Tinto!

One of the oldest wineries in Portugal, vineyards have been on the same Quinta de Valbom site in Évora since 1517 when the Jesuits came to the region to establish the second oldest university in Portugal. The name Cartuxa comes from the Cartuxa monastery that was built by the Carthusians between 1587 and 1598. The monastery was saved from ruin in 1871 by the Eugénio de Almeida family, and over the years they have developed the vineyard holding to some 1,050 hectares across four sites (650ha of which they own, and 400ha of which they rent with full control).
 
In 1963, Vasco Maria Eugénio de Almeida created Fundação Eugénio de Almeida, a charitable foundation responsible for developing many important social and cultural organisations across the region, including the Évora University, hospitals, social housing and numerous welfare institutions. The foundation continues its work today, more than 50 years after its foundation.
 
The Pêra-Manca brand was first patented in the 1870s, and the wines gathered international recognition when the reds were awarded gold medals in Bordeaux soon after. After a series political upheavals in Portugal, the arrival of phylloxera and the death of the vineyard owner in 1920, the Pêra-Manca wines were sadly no more, until 1990 when the label was resurrected. Today the wines celebrate native grape varieties and now have cult status around the world. The label is an iconic image from famous Portuguese artist Alfredo Roque Gameiro.

• DOC Alentejo - Évora
• Made from Antão Vaz and Arinto grapes
• Grown on granitic soil
• Fermentation in stainless steel and French oak barrels at 16 degrees
• Matures on lees in French oak barrels for 12 months with batonnage, further 6 months in bottle before release

 
Pera-Manca Branco is a blend of Antao Vaz and Arinto, planted in the Eugenio de Almeida Foundation vineyards. When the grapes reach the right maturation point, they are carefully picked, destalked and gently crushed. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats and in french oak barrels, at controlled temperature of 16 °C. The wine then matured on the lees for 12 months with battonage and a further 6 months in bottle prior to release.

N.B. This wine is not currently in stock but can be ordered, usually for delivery within a few weeks -  please email info@cellarselect.co.uk for availability and lead time, or it will be confirmed after an order is placed.