Our History
The future
is built upon
a legacy.
In the case of the Roque do Vale family it is years of knowledge and experience, lived with a deep connection to Alentejo, its landscape, culture and tradition.
We, as a family, have always been linked to the agricultural sector. Our roots lie in the Western Lisbon region where, for several generations, we have excelled as one of the main land owners and producers in the region.
In Alentejo, where we have been for three generations, we have produced wine for over 40 years. We were pioneers in the wine sector, founding, in 1983, one of the first large wine producing companies in the Central Alentejo region, and we are proud to have contributed to the assertion of the Alentejo wines in Portugal and throughout the world.
Besides being producers of reference in Alentejo, Carlos and Clara Roque do Vale, the founders, have always had a very active and relevant role in the region, boosting the development and recognition of the Alentejo wines.
The Company
Casa Clara emerged in 2000 with the objective of producing wines and olive oils of excellence in Alentejo, based on authenticity, quality and sustainability, expressing with great conviction the strong identity of the region.
On two properties at the heart of the Alentejo — Herdade da Capela (in the sub-region of Moura) and Quinta de D. Maria (in the sub-region of Vidigueira) grow the grapes and olives with which we produce our wines and olive oils. At our Logistics Centre in Pias, we transform the grapes into wine, following ancestral winemaking methods in a contemporary context, using highly sophisticated equipment designed to extract the best from our grapes.
Recently renamed Casa Clara, in honour of Clara Roque do Vale, the company, with the future always in mind, is constantly bringing itself up-to-date. With the arrival of the new generation, represented by daughter Mariana, begins a new chapter in the history of the family business and with it the expectation of new projects and challenges.
Always thinking of the company as a long-term project, Carlos and Clara Roque do Vale’s intentions are to pass on their legacy to the new generation of the family. By teaching them and putting into practice their values, knowledge and experience they ensure the continuity of this unique project.
Carlos Roque do Vale
From an early age Carlos Roque do Vale inherited the will to continue the legacy of previous generations, having dedicated himself very early on to the agricultural sector.
Carlos Roque do Vale arrived in Alentejo with his wife in 1977 in order to oversee the family's properties occupied at the time of the Revolution of the 25th of April.
Founder and chairman of some important companies in the wine sector, in 1983 he set up one of the first large wine producing companies of the Central Alentejo region. For almost one decade he held the chairmanship position in the cooperative Adega Cooperativa do Redondo.
He was one of the founding partners of the Technical Association of Alentejo Winegrowers (ATEVA — Associação Técnica dos Viticultores do Alentejo), an institution he led for some time. He was also a member of the General Council of the Alentejo Regional Wine Commission (Conselho Geral da Comissão Vitivinícola Regional Alentejana) and of the Advisory Board of the Institute of Vine and Wine (Conselho Consultivo do Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho).
In 2000, his huge passion for Alentejo led him to take on a new project in Baixo Alentejo at Herdade da Capela where he was joined by Clara Roque do Vale and his daughter Mariana.
Clara Roque do Vale
Clara Roque do Vale, studied Agronomic Engineering at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia of Lisbon, and soon also inherited a taste for vines. She developed her entire professional activity in this sector, and is recognised for her pioneer role, becoming one of the first women in Portugal to distinguish herself in the world of wines. She began her profession in wine research. In Alentejo she held various management positions at the Regional Directorate of Agriculture for Alentejo (Direção Regional de Agricultura do Alentejo) and was, for 12 years, president of the Alentejo Regional Wine Commission (CVRA - Comissão Vitivinícola Regional Alentejana), having been responsible for the implementation of the control structure, certification and promotion of the Alentejo wines as well as the Alentejo Wine Trail (Rota dos Vinhos do Alentejo). She was president of the National Association of Denominations of Origin of Wine (ANDOVI (Associação Nacional das Denominações de Origem Vitivinícolas)), member of the Advisory Board of the Institute of Vine and Wine (Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho) and member of the Board of VINIPORTUGAL — the association responsible for the promotion of wine in Portugal. In 2010 Clara Roque do Vale joined the project at Herdade da Capela where she remains today.
In 2020, she was distinguished with the award “Os Melhores do Ano” (“Best of the Year”) of the wine magazine Revista de Vinhos, that highlighted her as a “pioneer, driving force and great activist for the development of Alentejo as a region that produces wines of great international quality”.
Mariana Roque do Vale
Mariana was born and grew up in this wine sector environment. With a degree in Law from Universidade Católica de Lisboa, Mariana developed her professional career in the area of consultancy, banking and management, between Lisbon and London where she lived for five years.
In 2019, she joined the Casa Clara project, becoming her parent’s business partner.
Representing a new generation in the family, Mariana Roque do Vale interprets the values and knowledge that have been passed on to her in a contemporary light, combining her international experience with a unique, difference making, vision.
Mariana Roque do Vale’s objective is to give continuity to the project her parents implemented and developed, wishing to honour the past and establishing a bridge to the future, adding new layers and directions to a promising reality, based on a deep experience of the environment and a passion for the sector.
