Cartuxa Evora Branco Colheita 0.75L 13%, 2018 vintage; Cartuxa Evora Tinto Colheita 0.75L 14.5%, 2017 vintage; Adega Cartuxa [Cartuxa Winery], in Quinta de Valbom, is closely associated with the Society of Jesus. In 1580, Jesuit priest Pedro Silva, rector of the Universidade de Évora, acquired Quinta de Valbom to house the university's teaching staff. Construction of the Jesuit retreat house took about 10 years and resulted in a building with many quarters, a canteen and a chapel. In 1759, with the expulsion of the Society of Jesus from the country by Marques de Pombal, Quinta de Valbom became part of state ownership, and in 1776 it was equipped with a wine press that quickly gained importance in the region. Its proximity to Cartuxa Monastery determined that it would become known to this day as Adega Cartuxa [Cartuxa Winery]. In 1869, the founder's great-grandfather, José Maria Eugénio de Almeida, acquired Quinta de Valbom. After his death, it was his son, Carlos Maria Eugénio de Almeida, who became involved in continuing and expanding the production of Casa Agrícola Eugénio de Almeida. It was on his initiative that the vineyards were planted, which was the earliest source of wines. With the gradual development and success of wine production, Cartux's winery was gradually improved. Numerous restructurings that took place in 1993 and 1995 allowed for the re-equipping and expansion of all sectors of the winery, greatly increasing its potential for wine production and storage capacity. There are still well-preserved earlier equipment, now out of use but innovative at the time of their introduction, such as the Algerian amphorae for the fermentation of red wines (vats built of concrete, with auto-verifiers) and the beds where white wines were fermented. These storage tanks, built of cement and later covered with resin, date back to the 1950s, a period when their use was common practice. Estimated price: 320-400 zloty
