2007/05/29

About Quinta do Ermo The Quinta do Ermo is situated in São Vicente de Paços circa 70km from Oporto in the heart of the lush-green Minho Region. It occupies an area of 13ha of which the hill and vineyard are included. The Quinta do Ermo produces and bottles its own Vinho Verde (a pétillant wine which literally means “Green Wine”, referring to its youthful freshness rather than its colour) and organic honey. It also boasts a trout nursery and greenhouse where the owners grow their own fruit and vegetables. The granite house dating from the early 18th century has been completely rebuilt keeping all the characteristics of its rural setting. Camilo Castelo Branco, probably the most prolific of all Portuguese writers, sought refuge at the Quinta do Ermo in 1860 when in hiding for having committed the crime of adultery. The beautiful setting inspired novels such as “Memórias de Cárcere”. Although his work is recognized mainly within Portugal, Camilo Castelo Branco is one of the most widely read Portuguese novelists of all time.