The Adega das Giestas Negras has the distinction of being one of the oldest schist wineries in the country. The name of the winery – Giestas Negras – refers to a bush (purple broom) that existed in abundance in that location. Built in MDLXXV (1575), the date engraved on the door lintel, it has two wine presses and a tank, all made of schist, with one of the presses having a capacity for 12 barrels (the normal at the time was 4 to 6 barrels). It also has a spindle press about eight meters long, made of chestnut wood, over 300 years old, which was used to “crush the grapes”.

It was this winery that gave the emblem for the VALRIZ Port Wine label, as well as the medal obtained by Cristóvão Ayres de Mattos at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900.