Nicolau de Almeida, Lda is the family wine company of João Nicolau de Almeida — son of Fernando Nicolau de Almeida, the Casa Ferreirinha oenologist who created Barca Velha, great-grandson of the founder of the 1870 Port shipper António Nicolau de Almeida Júnior & Irmão (absorbed into Real Companhia Velha in 1963) and, through his mother, great-grandnephew of Adriano Ramos Pinto, at whose house he spent most of his career. In 1993 João found the Quinta do Monte Xisto site near Vila Nova de Foz Côa in the Douro Superior, assembled it parcel by parcel and began planting in 2005 with his sons Mateus and João, both winemakers. Systembolaget lists four Nicolau de Almeida wines in its order range through Vinhantverk Sverige AB — Quinta do Monte Xisto Oriente 2022 (art. 7892401, SEK 790), Monte Xisto Órbita 2021 (art. 7807001, SEK 430), Porto Branco Leve Seco (art. 7971802, SEK 450) and Vintage Port 2021 (art. 7537001, SEK 931), all added in December 2025 — and launched Mateus Nicolau de Almeida’s Curral Teles Lota 2015 (art. 9054601, SEK 230) in the temporary assortment on 29 May 2026 through Boa Pressão AB.
Systembolaget’s product register carries five wines from the family. Four are listed under the producer name Nicolau de Almeida, Lda and were added to the order range within two days in December 2025 by the importer Vinhantverk Sverige AB: the estate’s flagship Quinta do Monte Xisto Oriente 2022 (art. 7892401, SEK 790), the second wine Monte Xisto Órbita 2021 (art. 7807001, SEK 430), a dry white port, Porto Branco Leve Seco (art. 7971802, SEK 450), and a Vintage Port 2021 (art. 7537001, SEK 931). The fifth is a separate project of the younger generation: Curral Teles Lota 2015, made by Mateus Nicolau de Almeida, was launched in the temporary assortment on 29 May 2026 at SEK 230 (art. 9054601) through Boa Pressão AB, which means it went into stores across Sweden rather than into the order catalogue.
The company’s own history page explains the name. The family’s Port firm, António Nicolau de Almeida Júnior & Irmão, was founded in 1870 and absorbed into Real Companhia Velha in 1963; Fernando Nicolau de Almeida, João’s father, was the Casa Ferreirinha oenologist who created Barca Velha, Portugal’s most famous dry red; João’s mother was a great-niece of Adriano Ramos Pinto, founder in 1880 of the house where João himself would spend most of his career. In 1993 João found what he calls an extraordinary site for wine near Vila Nova de Foz Côa and bought land parcel by parcel until it formed Quinta do Monte Xisto; planting began in 2005 with his sons Mateus and João, and the firm João Nicolau de Almeida & Filhos took as its symbol the star of the old family company.
The listing is a good example of how the Swedish monopoly treats Douro Superior estates with a name: the order range gives the full range a permanent catalogue presence at prices from SEK 430 to SEK 931, while a single temporary-assortment launch, here the younger generation’s Curral Teles, puts a bottle on shelves nationwide for a season. Two different Swedish importers handling two generations of the same family is also typical of how Portuguese family estates reach the Nordics: by brand and by winemaker, rather than by company.
29 May 2026: Curral Teles Lota 2015 (Mateus Nicolau de Almeida) launched in Systembolaget’s temporary assortment at SEK 230 through Boa Pressão AB. 16–17 December 2025: four Nicolau de Almeida, Lda wines added to the order range through Vinhantverk Sverige AB.
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