The Adega das Giestas Negras has the particularity of being one of the oldest schist wineries in the country. The name of the winery – Giestas Negras – refers to a shrub (purple broom) that existed in abundance in that place. Built in MDLXXV (1575), date engraved on the bakery of the door, it has two mills and a dorna, all in shale, having one of the mills capacity for 12 kites (the normal of the time was 4 to 6 kites). It also has a spindle press about eight meters long, in brown wood, more than 300 years old, which served to “crush the grapes”.
It was this winery that gave the emblem for the label of Port Wine VALRIZ, as well as the medal obtained by Cristóvão Ayres de Mattos at the International Exhibition of Paris in 1900.
It has always been in the possession of the Ayres de Mattos branch family, whose dream was to proceed with its restoration, which came to pass in 2006, thanks to the aid granted by the Historical Douro Association through the Leader+ Program and transformed into a small museum with old wine pieces, belonging to the family, which were scattered in several places.
The Museum is located in the center of Quinta dos Mattos, next to the road, between Galafura and Covelinhas and can be visited from Monday to Friday. Depending on the number of visitors it can also be visited on Saturday and / or Sunday, being convenient to book in advance.
