Companhia Agrícola do Sanguinhal’s head-offices are located in the municipality of Bombarral with estates in the municipalities of Bombarral, Cadaval, Alenquer and Torres Vedras, which is to say in the heart of one of the country’s oldest wine regions, the origin of which goes back to the foundation of the Portuguese nation. In fact, in 1153, King D.Afonso Henriques donated large estates - including Bombarral that at the time was only a farm - to the order of St Bernard settled in the Alcobaça Monastery. The Cistercians monks introduced wine growing and developed intensive agricultural activity which has expanded and flourished up to present days. Nowadays, the region covers around 8,000 hectares producing approximately 60 million litres of wine per year.
Companhia Agrícola do Sanguinhal (CAS) was established by Abel Pereira da Fonseca in 1927.The company was created for the administration of the estates that this businessman had been purchasing in the region since the beginning of the century. At the time he also held a partnership in Sociedade Comercial Abel Pereira da Fonseca, which owned and exploited the largest food and wine retail network in the country. They were called "Lojas Val do Rio", and totalled one hundred stores in Lisbon alone.
In 1937 Abel Pereira da Fonseca sold its shareholding in Sociedade Abel Pereira da Fonseca and purchased the whole share capital of Companhia Agrícola do Sanguinhal, now changed from public limited company to private limited company entirely held by the founding partner and his sons. The company still belongs to the same family.
CAS began producing quality wine from the very start. The wines from Quinta das Cerejeiras, Quinta do Sanguinhal and Quinta de São Francisco were produced separately in their respective cellars, which had an overall capacity in oak and mahogany barrels and vats of around 2 million litres, used in the fermentation, storage and ageing of wines, fortified wines and brandies.
Advertising the Sanguinhal wine at the bolhão market,Oporto (Beginning of the 20th century)
