During the nearly 100-year history of the Casa Ermelinda Freitas winery, the women of the Freitas family played a particularly important role. The winery was founded in 1920 by Deonilde Freitas. Her daughter Germana and granddaughter Ermelinda Freitas succeeded her. Today, Leonore Freitas, Ermelinda's daughter and great-granddaughter of the founder, is the fourth generation to lead the winery.
For a long time, it was limited to selling pure cask wine, and it wasn't until 1997 that Leonore began bottling and marketing its own wine. Success came quickly and proved her point. Leonore began with 60 hectares of vineyards in Fernando Po, a region surrounding Palmela. Only the Castelao and Fernao Pires grape varieties were planted there, but in the coming years, she expanded both the varietal spectrum and the acreage. In addition to regional vines like Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet, she also introduced internationally renowned varieties like Syrah. Today, the vineyard has 140 hectares of vineyards, the majority of which are red grape varieties, with only about ten percent planted with white varieties.
Vinification takes place in stainless steel tanks followed by six months of aging in French and American oak. The wine is aged for a year in oak barrels, resulting in unique flavors and aromas. Flor de la Mar Tinto has a beautiful dark red color, and the aroma beautifully combines aromas of ripe red fruit, wood, and spices. The palate is rich, full-bodied, and robust with appealing fruitiness, oaky notes, and pleasant tannins, followed by a long, rich finish.
