The History Of Henriques & Henriques
Founded by João Gonçalves, Henriques goes back to 1850. After his death in 1912, a partnership was created between his sons, Francisco Eduardo and João Joaquim Henriques, hence Henriques & Henriques.
From then on, Henriques & Henriques played an important role in viticulture and wine making on the Island and in 1913, the family interests were established as a firm, and by 1925, the firm concentrated on shipping its own wines instead of supplying them to other shippers.
With the death, in 1968, of the last of the Henriques, João Joaquim Henriques, known as “João de Belem”, (who had no heirs) the company was left to his three friends and partners: Alberto Nascimento Jardim, Peter Cossart (who made 53 vintages with the company) and Carlos Nunes Pereira.
In June 1992, Henriques & Henriques undertook an expansion programme with a value of more than €5,000,000 and invested in the construction of new premises in Camara de Lobos and also on building a new vinification centre at Quinta Grande.
The new premises at Camara de Lobos house the offices, laboratory, tasting room, shop, glass fronted cask stores (for ageing wines) and the basement below houses different sized stainless steel tanks for storage and blending.
In 1995 the company decided to plant at Quinta Grande a new 10 hectare vineyard next to the vinification centre. Henriques & Henriques is the only madeira producer to own vineyards.
The Company uses the most recent technical innovations, but at the same time, maintains the family traditions of almost 200 years of producing finest madeira wines. The full control of every aspect of its production has enabled Henriques & Henriques to nurture and sell wines of exceptional quality.