Founded in 1633 by Diogo da Veiga in the place of Subserra, from which it inherits its name, the Quinta da Subserra coexisted at the time with other morgadios inhabited by some noble families, while others came to spend their leisure time in the "excellent air". From that first period remains the Chapel of S. José with its 17th century tiles, the canvas of the main altar, also painted in the 17th century by the royal painter Bento Coelho da Silveira (1620-1708), and the tombs of João Roxas Azevedo and his wife , third owners of the Quinta.
Of great interest is the visit to the French-inspired geometrical gardens and the palatial building, renovated in the 19th century by Manuel Inácio Martins Pamplona and his wife D. Isabel de Lemos Roxas, as attested on a tombstone adjoining the “palace”. In the 19th century, the Quinta de Subserra was a meeting place for the high nobility of the time - it was the time of the marquises of Bemposta and Subserra.
Today, the Quinta de Subserra houses the Casa dos Vinhos Encostas de Xira, with a production of about five hectares cultivated on a hillside facing the east. The production of the Casa – a project from the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira that aims to serve as the municipality's ambassador in terms of gastronomy and tourism – is based on eight vineyard plots ranging from white grape varieties (Arinto, Fernão Pires and Moscatel) and red varieties ( Castelão, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Syrah). The Casa guarantees red wines from lengthy maceration in mills, with a chromatic intensity of ruby red with an aroma of intense black fruits, and elegant, fresh white wines with a soft and round finish.
The Encostas de Xira wines can be acquired, among other places, at the Vila Franca de Xira Tourism Office, Rua Alves Redol, n.º 7 | 2600-099 Vila Franca de Xira.
