Quinta do Vinagre

Quinta do Vinagre is a historic country estate in Colares, in the municipality of Sintra, Portugal. Built in the 16th century, its story links a bishop, Portuguese monarchs, a tuberculosis prevention institution and a legendary party attended by international stars.

Who founded Quinta do Vinagre?

The residence was built in the middle of the 16th century by Fernando Coutinho, Bishop of Silves and Lamego and son of the chamber keeper of King John II. Inscriptions on the gate and facade give the date 1586. The estate lies between the road to Sintra and the old road, in one of the most picturesque corners of the region, alongside the Rio das Maçãs, where a small dam forms an almost lake-like pool.

Which royal guests did the house receive?

A 1907 description by the owner, known as the Morgada of Vinagre, records visits by Portuguese royalty: John V in 1708, Maria I in 1777, and later Maria II and Amélia of Orléans. In 1787 the English writer William Beckford visited and described a shaded garden running along the banks of a stream. King Carlos I painted a view of the estate.

How did it fall into ruin and get rescued?

In 1926 the building became the Preventório de Colares, an institution for children at risk of tuberculosis. It stayed there until at least 1938, and this use left the house in complete ruin. In the 1940s the 5th Count of Mafra, Francisco de Melo Breyner, and his wife saved it from demolition. He died on the estate in 1963.

Why is the Schlumberger name attached to it?

In 1964 Pierre Schlumberger bought Quinta do Vinagre from António Plácido de Mello Breyner, Count of Mafra. The Schlumbergers became famous for a party held on 4 September 1968, when the illuminated gardens welcomed guests including Yul Brynner, Henry Ford II, Princess Soraya, the Begum Aga Khan, members of the Rothschild family and Claus von Bülow. The estate still belongs to the Schlumberger family, and Maria da Conceição Schlumberger placed works by Henry Moore and Pimenta Beverly in the gardens.

What sets the gardens apart?

The Ribeira de Colares runs through the property and is built into the garden design. The water forms a liquid divide between the two levels of the formal box garden. The gardens appear in Portugal's register of historic gardens, and the estate is regarded as one of the most interesting places in Colares, both for its setting and for the richness of its history.

Can you visit Quinta do Vinagre?

The quinta is private family property and does not operate like a standard attraction with regular opening hours. Before travelling, check current access arrangements, for example through Sintra's tourist information. For anyone interested in the history and architecture of the house, a walk through the surrounding Colares countryside is an easy option; the area is also known for its wineries and sandy vineyards grown close to the Atlantic.

How can it fit into a day trip?

Colares lies in the western part of the Sintra municipality, near the coast. A visit can be combined with a tasting at local wine producers, a stroll through the village, and the far better-known palaces and castles on the Sintra hills. Quinta do Vinagre rounds out such a day as an example of a Portuguese rural manor with a long, well-documented past.

Frequently asked questions

When was Quinta do Vinagre built? In the middle of the 16th century; inscriptions on the gate and facade indicate 1586.

Who owns it? Since 1964 it has belonged to the Schlumberger family, who bought it from the Count of Mafra.

What was it used for between 1926 and 1938? It housed the Preventório de Colares, a preventive institution for children at risk of tuberculosis.

What flows through the gardens? The Ribeira de Colares, integrated into the formal box garden layout.

Who stayed or visited here? Portuguese monarchs including John V, Maria I and Maria II, and in 1968 stars and aristocrats from around the world.