Henriques & Henriques

In the fishing bay of Câmara de Lobos, west of Funchal, the wine house of Henriques & Henriques has worked Madeira wine since 1850 — one of the island’s historic names, and an unusual one: unlike most producers, it has long made its wines from grapes grown on its own vineyards.

A house of the island

The founder, João Gonçalves Henriques, came from a family already established among the vineyard lands of the island, and the firm took its formal shape in the early twentieth century. From 1925 it began bottling and exporting Madeira produced entirely from its own estate fruit — a rarity in a trade that mostly bought grapes from small growers — and the house became known for its single-varietal wines: the dry Sercial and Verdelho, the rounder Bual and the sweet Malvasia.

Tasting in the bay

The house works and receives visitors in Câmara de Lobos, the town Churchill painted and the wine country’s most photogenic bay. A tasting here pairs with the harbour walk, the fishing boats and the espetada grills of the seafront — and with the vineyard country of the south coast above the town.

What to see

• The house’s single-varietal Madeira wines
• The bay and fishing harbour of Câmara de Lobos
• The Churchill painting spots on the seafront
• The vineyard terraces of the south coast
• The espetada and bolo do caco of the local grills

Practical information

The house is based in Câmara de Lobos, five kilometres west of Funchal by the coast road. Visits and tastings run by schedule — check the house’s official information and book ahead in high season.

Image credit: Câmara de Lobos bay by Josep M. Gracia — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.