History of the Estate

The land comprising the majority of the Tapada do Falcão estate was purchased by Robin and Fenella Macartney in or around 1947.  They had been living in Mozambique where Robin worked for the Department of Public Works,  and both spoke excellent Portuguese.  
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Robin was an architect by profession and the house and grounds were very much designed by the Macartneys and took several years to build. The house was built in granite to high standards including the incorporation of a damp proof course – a rarity in Portugal at the time!  It comprised many small rooms which the Macartneys used according to the seasons.  They also built the stable block, which incorporates a staff house. 

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We bought the property in the summer of 1997 and made very few changes for many years., though we did construct the all-weather tennis court, lay a lawn and sank some bore holes.

Our biggest early project was without doubt clearing the hill at the south-western end of the estate, preparing the land and planting the vineyard in 1999-2000. This required the construction of two deep boreholes, a 100,000 litre water storage tank and a new road through the property, and the laying of an electricity cable and a water main underground.

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Our vineyard and wine

heTapada do Falcão estate is situated within the Portalegre DOC wine region on the slopes of the Serra de São Mamede in the Alto Alentejo. The vineyard of nearly 7 hectares (15 acres) was planted in early 2000 with five different red grape varieties: Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschete, Syrah, Touriga Nacional and Aragonez. It gained DOC status in 2011.

The slopes are steep and can only be cultivated with a caterpillar tractor, and many vineyard operations including picking and pruning are carried out by hand. The schistous terrain and steep conditions mean that yields are relatively low.

This combined with the altitude and aspect means that the wines are more refined than those from the hot plains of the Alentejo.
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Green and local

Throughout the renovation of both Casa do Outeiro and Tapada do Falcão we have sought to minimise their impact on the environment and maximise their eco credentials without compromising on comfort. Solar panels at Tapada do Falcão heat its water and a bank of a 28 photovoltaic panels linked to a battery system provide much of the electricity needs at both properties, backed up by the grid if necessary. The windows and doors are argon-filled double glazed units and use low emissivity glass.

All pools use salt water systems thereby removing the need for chlorine and other harsh chemicals. Our own wells and bore holes provide water for the pools and for garden irrigation.

We have deliberately left the land surrounding Outeiro “wild” which benefits wildlife and removes the need for further irrigation. Any plants that have been added are drought-resistant.
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