Our History
At the beginning of the 19th century, António Caetano d'Oliveira was born in Torre de Moncorvo. Their parents, originating in Foz Côa, were rural proprietors in these two towns and also in Vila Flor. During the liberal struggles they decided to move their residence to the village of Moncorvo. António Caetano d'Oliveira, was a King Advisor and had a very important business activity, with the acquisition of many agricultural lands and urban buildings, industrial activities such as the production of silk that he exported to several countries, soap, and textiles, he also had banking activity at a bank named Banco Comercial do Porto, which closed at the beginning of the 20th century after his death. Around 1851, he acquired a piece of land in the Vilariça Valley in which he built the Quinta da Silveira. António began to develop it, with the olive and almond groves plantation. Following the demand for planting of vines, in the currently designated the Douro Superior sub region, he begins planting vineyards in large areas of the property parallel to the Ribeira da Vilariça. In 1879 he ordered the construction of the warehouses and the granite cellars, as well as the first structure of the estate house.
António Caetano's son, Álvaro Júlio de Oliveira, had a daughter Júlia Alice de Oliveira who would inherit Quinta da Silveira from its founder after his death in 1914.
Júlia Alice de Oliveira married in 1914 with António Gonçalves Martinho, son of a family from Régua, also rural landowners with tradition in the production of Port wines. It was thus possible to jointly develop Quinta da Silveira.
The couple had only one son António Caetano de Oliveira Martinho, who graduated in medicine and surgery in Coimbra and worked as a surgeon in Lisbon where he lived. He married Maria Teresa Guerra Bastos Gonçalves, actress and writer (Tareka), of whom he had 3 children, Ana Maria Bastos de Oliveira Martinho, writer (Ana Maria Magalhães), António José Bastos de Oliveira Martinho, actor (TóZé Martinho) and Manuel Maria Bastos de Oliveira Martinho, doctor and oenologist.
In 1957 António Caetano de Oliveira Martinho passed away, before his mother, so that when she died in 1973, Quinta da Silveira was inherited by the 3 grandchildren.
From 1979 Manuel Maria was in charge of property management, with the task of starting the restructuring of the vineyards, modernization of the winery, did agricultural and oenological training that he needed for the good execution of his objective.
In this sense, the three brothers formed a family business, Sociedade Agrícola Vale da Vilariça, Lda., Maintaining Manuel Maria Oliveira Martinho as manager, aiming at the administration of the property. In this way, all the Silveira vineyards were transferred over the years, about 45 ha choosing the most recommended grape varieties for the production of Port and Douro DOC wines in the determined “Terroir”, the planting on the slope behind the home. Another property, Quinta do Tourão, of 25 Ha, was also associated with the management of Quinta da Silveira, also in Vale da Vilariça, 6 km to the north, with shale terrain, letter A of Port wine and vineyards around 40 years old. in 15 Ha and the rest with 10 years.
In this way the tradition is maintained and Quinta da Silveira now has a greater production and quality of Port and Douro DOC wines, also presenting wines with very specific characteristics.