Family History

Quinta da Raza has passed through four centuries, always in the Teixeira Coelho family, and is now in the hands of Diogo Teixeira Coelho, the 5th generation

The beginnings of Quinta da Raza are to be found in a famous manor house in Veade, Celorico de Basto, known as ‘A Casa do Outeiro’, of probable medieval origin and classified since 1977 as a Property of Public Interest.

The first known owner of Casa do Outeiro was Francisco Gonçalves, at the beginning of the 17th century. However, there are very few references to this first building. The current configuration of the Outeiro house dates back to the 19th century, and is the result of a reconstruction that took place after the great fire of 1860 that left the building practically destroyed.

This remodelling, carried out by Inácio Xavier Teixeira de Barros, a young nobleman of the Royal House, was naturally done in the taste of the time, materialising in a set of eighteenth and nineteenth century architectural trends. There are clear architectural and stylistic affinities with the neighbouring ‘Casa da Boavista’, a connection that extended to the members of both families.

The main façade features a pediment with a stone coat of arms and a shield with the insignia of the Teixeiras (1st), Macedos (2nd), Barros (3rd) and Carvalhos (4th).

Also noteworthy is the large number of glazed windows and doors, totalling 26, revealing the family’s social status, also embodied in the crenellated tower, reminiscent of the old medieval fortifications.

Unlike other manor houses, the ground floor of Casa do Outeiro is not dedicated to agricultural or livestock outbuildings. The warehouse, wine cellar, mills, dovecote, cowshed and others are close to the main house, freeing it up and giving it greater comfort and privacy.

In fact, the farm vehicles had no access to the ground floor, which was adorned with a granite slab and balustrade, in front of which sprawled the gardens with ponds adorned with boxwood and japonica trees, in accordance with the custom and tradition of the Terras de Basto.

Although it grows other agricultural products such as corn, potatoes and vegetables, the cultivation of vines and wine has always been Casa do Outeiro’s main objective. A good example of the agricultural virtues of Casa do Outeiro and its owners is the Medal of Agricultural Merit awarded by the kings, Luís I and Maria Pia, to the great-great-grandfather of the current owner, as part of the Braga Agricultural Exhibition of 1863, an event in which the region’s greatest landowners and agricultural producers were honoured.

Quinta da Raza is considered to be a “daughter” / “successor” / “descendant” of Casa do Outeiro, and the current owners are Diogo and Mafalda Teixeira Coelho.

The current family’s ownership of the site known as Raza – known as such because it is a considerably flat area, whose surroundings are quite hilly and mountainous – has been documented since 1769, although the actual ownership of the land probably dates back to earlier times.

5 GENERATIONS OF QUINTA DA RAZA

The Quinta da Raza has survived four centuries to the present day, always in the Teixeira Coelho family, and is now in the hands of Diogo Teixeira Coelho, the 5th generation. The enthusiasm and dedication for the vineyard and wine have fermented passion and enthusiasm over time.

Diogo’s family has an umbilical relationship and an ancestral legacy with the estate and with the Basto region, where he has always lived. After the death of his grandfather Inácio in 1987, Diogo began working as a winemaker. His passion for agriculture and the vineyard, as well as his commitment and enthusiasm for the necessary restructuring of the estate’s viticulture, were decisive in his first years as a professional.

Years later, in 2008, his wife Mafalda joined Quinta da Raza as head of the export market. From then on, they began to share the same life project.

Since then, they have dedicated themselves body and soul to producing wines of excellence, maintaining the same passion as their ancestors, seeking, in an innovative and daring way, to imprint the character of Quinta da Raza’s wines with the unique viticultural attributes of the Basto region.

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