Introducing our Local Legend, Cesar Sequeira, owner of Quinta de Morrocos family estates.
Cesar Sequeira’s story
Cesar Sequeira was born in 1943 within the region of Régua, Northern Portugal, to a family of wine producers. The Sequeira family ran a collection of family estates (Quinta da Morrocos) surrounded by beautiful vineyards and this was affectionately known as home to Cesar. Life was simple, based around family and community.
Cesar met his sweetheart and late wife Maria Elisa shortly before he first left the family home to complete a PHD in Chemical engineering at London’s Imperial College. Maria Elisa followed Cesar there and remained by his side, encouraging him to follow his dreams and indeed creating her own.
In 1979 Cesar and Maria Elisa took over the running of the family wine business. Until then it had been in the safe hands of his grandfather and uncle. Shortly after, Cesar, inspired by his wife, began the process of certifying the family wines and ports and succeeded in opening their production to Wine Tourism, bringing international prominence to the Douro region. Cesar describes himself as calm but with a love of meeting people and sharing his and his family’s story. It was this love of people and the warm nature of the Portuguese spirit that led to the opening of their home, enabling guests to experience the charm of the family Quintas.
During this experience, guests will hear the story of the family wine estate from Cesar, now run by him and his children. You will sample some delicious wines and share some tasty local dishes prepared by his family. You’ll also learn about the winemaking process itself. During harvest time, you can even try picking the grapes by hand and stomping them by foot.
