Fitapreta II

Direct 

• Recovery and protection of cultural and historical heritage: Fitapreta is restoring 1000m2 of a building dating back to the year 1306, consisting of a chapel, an old wine press room, and the first floor. The building is located in the Alentejo region of Portugal, in the city of Évora, and was unused and degraded for the last decades and its rehabilitation will cost around 1.5M Euro. The restoration involved a team of specialists from history, arts, and archaeology since it included the recovery of frescos inside the chapel and the old wine press room from the XIV century. The renovation includes installing basic infrastructure such as electricity, water, sewage, and climatization.
  The restoration works will originate a book about the history associated with the building and its importance to the region in the centuries past.  
• Improve resource use efficiency in consumption and production: the renovation works were based on environmental sustainability, choosing efficient materials, equipment, and local suppliers. Doors and windows will be replaced, and high-density insulation was installed as energy savings measures in a region with a high-temperature variation. Locally produced clay tiles were installed, made of natural materials that maintain the region's cultural identity and perform well for thermal and acoustic comfort. All equipment is highly efficient, the lighting with LED lamps, with movement and programmed sensors to avoid waste.
  The water used in the building comes from a natural source and is treated and heated through a heat pump – the most efficient and sustainable method available.  

Indirect 

• Promotion of organic production and sustainable land use: Fitapreta’s mode of production is certified organic – the vineyards have no irrigation, and respect the land’s orography, and original landscape. This way, the result is an agroforest in which the vineyard coexists with other native plants, potentializing biodiversity and water conservation on the ground.
  The promoter is also certified in a sustainable wines program from the region – the PSVA (Program for Alentejo’s Wines Sustainability), which envisions the improvement of the environmental, social, and economic performance of the wine producers in the Alentejo region. 
• Promote sustainable tourism and growth decoupled from degradation: Fitapreta will use the recovered building and area for wine-related training and education and wine tourism, creating jobs and economic opportunities for local companies and valuing regional products. All while taking visitors through the region and the country’s history. 

Fitapreta was founded in 2004 by winemakers António Maçanita and David Booth. Today it is owned by António Maçanita, Sandra Sárria, and the company Dommelhof. It has 51 full-time employees and is based in Paço do Morgado de Oliveira, located in the municipality of Évora, in the south of Portugal.

The promoter's entire vineyard produces organic grapes, but their environmental concerns go well beyond agriculture and Fitapreta holds several sustainability certificates. All the vineyards are rainfed (without an irrigation system). For this reason, strategies to conserve water in the soil and minimize the impact on ecosystems are extremely important. 

The winery is also eco-efficient, designed to work using gravity. The infrastructure is covered in cork (a natural local element, that boosts thermal efficiency), and has around 40 skylights (which reduce the need to use energy for lighting).

Fitapreta is committed to continuously implementing sustainability-focused practices and promoting different forms of material and intangible heritage, such as old vines through the recovery of native grape varieties. A good example was the work to restore "Chão dos Eremitas" - a vineyard with unique characteristics in the Alentejo, over 50 years old and covering around 30 hectares that bring us wines made from unique varieties such as Tinta Carvalha, Trincadeira das Pratas, Moreto and Alicante Branco. 

Among various awards, António Maçanita won the Portuguese prize Winemaker of the Year and the Singularidade award in 2018. Fitapreta Vinhos company was also awarded Producer of the Year in Portugal in 2020.