Some old friends, hunters by calling, with deep love for the Alentejo region, for the Guadiana River, for the beautiful village of Mértola and the wines of the region, has ventured in the exploitation of twenty hectares of schistose soil on the right bank of the river in order to fulfil the dream of creating exceptional wines.

The land is far from the sea but the closeness of the water and the foothill of Serra do Caldeirão justify the freshness these vineyards benefit from unlike all other vineyards in Alentejo.

The plantation started in 1999. First the vine varieties from Alentejo – Trincadeira and Aragonês, thencame the international ones – Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah and, a few years later and after careful analysis, three hectares and a half of Alicante Bouschet.

To say that the project has triumphed is an understatement: the wines have gathered the unanimity of critics through their high scores.

The brief but assertive portfolio is carefully enumerated by João Paulo Martins in his Guia de Vinhos de Portugal 2016, where he distributes praises by white, red and rosé wines with unusual generosity, favoring the Reserva and Grande Escolha for obvious reasons.

The red Reserva 2011, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Alicante Bouschet, ages for 13 months in the barrel and it is only produced in very good years. The critic praises its concentration, vigorous aroma, the good insertion of wood and the presence of the Cabernet. The fine but present tannins advise us to keep some specimens in the cellar in order to better appreciate them.

Being a tribute, the red Grande EscolhaMárioonly had two editions, both exceptional. The first, in 2012, gathers the three vine varieties of the Reserva in a “very interesting” dialogue, with a “harmony and serenity that fit the 80 of the one honored” as João Paulo Martins says. “It is a pleasure to drink it”, he concludes.

The redGrande EscolhaMário2013 is a mono varietal of Cabernet Sauvignon. “Concentrated in the colour (…) a good Cabernet, ripe, full, with fruits and tannins still abit acute”. It is a wine to keep.

The wines of the winery have common characteristics. The reds are full bodied, with structure and invariably round tannins. They surprise us by the elegant interaction between complexity and freshness. The whites, result of a somewhat early harvest, stand out by their balanced acidity, their freshness, elegance and volume.

In a philosophy of respect for the terroir, Bombeira only uses its own grapes, with intense weeding of bunches, manual harvest and is proud of the rigorous selection of the grapes for winemaking. Always standing out in the premium segment, its wines are very famous among the locals. The insertion of the estate in Parque Natural do Guadiana and the respect by tradition in sweet Mértola that embellishes with elegance and love the art of winemaking have, most certainly, contributed.