12 Knights wine 12 Knights wine 12 Knights wine 12 Knights wine 12 Knights wine

A taste to be conquered

A taste to be conquered

The 12 Knights wine for those who dare to drink bravely.

Every wine tells a story: this is Portugal’s. An opulent ode to our brave knights, every glass is a story that must be told with a taste that must be savoured.

IWC

92 points

IWSC

Bronze

Sponsorships
Uncork and conquer: if you're bold enough

Drink like a knight

Uncork and conquer: if you're bold enough

Before we tell the centuries-old story,
let’s start with the taste. Complex, elegant and well-balanced, this opulent red wine is full-bodied with smooth tannins, a long and pleasant finish. Marked by an intense ruby color, it’s full of ripe red fruits and spicy aromas from a deep rest in wood casks. Daring, remarkable and bold: it’s a true homage to the knights.

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Serving Suggestions

This wine should be served, for your knighthood at a roundtable, at a temperature between 60.8°F and 64.4°F. If you’re brave enough to wait, it can be aged up to approximately 6 years in the bottle, if stored in a cool dry place.

Shine amongst your peers: a Wine awarded with the greatest of honors.

INTERNATIONALLY AWARDED BRAVERY

Shine amongst your peers: a Wine awarded with the greatest of honors.

IWC

92 points

See more

IWSC

Bronze

See more
This bottle is a store of the land where the grapes are grown

This bottle is a story of the land where the grapes are grown

Knights have always been present in the pages of Portugal’s history. A country as old as Portugal has lived endless lives. We conquered and became the conquered. Treaties were made, battles were fought, and throughout it all, we prevailed. Knights have defended Portugal through countless invasions, like the Battle of Ourique and carried out epic missions which launched historic eras as brilliant as the “Age of Discoveries”. True heroes who defended the kingdom, and carried the Portugal name across vast borders.

12 Knights

#1

1106,1109 or 1111 - 1185

D. Afonso Henriques

Made himself Knight in the Zamora Cathedral

Afonso Henriques, nicknamed “The Conqueror”, was the first King and founder of Portugal. He secured the Independence of the County of Portugal against his mother. In 1139, after defeating the Mouros in the Battle of Ourique, he proclaimed himself King of Portugal.

#2

1112 - 1147

Martim Moniz

Made Knight by D. Afonso Henriques

Martim Moniz was a knight who sacrificed himself in the 1147 siege of Castelo de São Jorge where Lisboa became under definitive Portuguese control. The story goes that Moniz, seeing the Moors closing the castle gates, wedged himself in between them, thus allowing other soldiers entry.

#3

1261 - 1325

D. Dinis I

Founder of the Order of the Knights of our Lord Jesus Christ

D. Dinis I, nicknamed the Farmer, was the 6th King of Portugal. He gave impetus to Portuguese agriculture – he ordered the planting of a large pine forest that still exists today near Leiria. He was also known for his poetry which constituted an important contribution to the development of Portuguese as a literary language then.

#4

1357 - 1433

D. João I

Knight by the Most Noble Order of the Gartner

D. João I, nicknamed Master of Aviz, was the 10th King of Portugal. He is recognized for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Castile, preserving his country's independence and establishing the Aviz dynasty. Reigned for 48 years (the most extensive of all Portuguese monarchs) saw the beginning of Portugal's overseas expansion.

#5

1360 – 1431

D. Nuno Álvares Pereira

Made Knight by the Queen Consort D. Leonor Teles

Nuno Álvares Pereira, was a Portuguese general of great success who had a decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugal's independence from Castile. He later was beatified by Pope Benedict XV, in 1918, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Considered the greatest Portuguese strategist, commander and military genius of all time.

#6

1390 – 1449

Álvaro Vaz de Almada

Knight by the Most Noble Order of the Gartner

Álvaro Vaz de Almada was an illustrious Portuguese knight and a nobleman. One of the twelve Portuguese who participated in the famous tournament known as the "Twelve of England”, Álvaro Vaz de Almada was the first Count of Avranches and Captain-General of the city of Lisbon.

#7

1394 – 1460

Infante D. Henrique

Knight by the Most Noble Order of the Gartner

Infante D. Henrique, nicknamed The Navigator, was a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and in the 15th-century European maritime discoveries and maritime expansion. Through his administrative direction, he is regarded as the main initiator of what would be known as the Age of Discovery.

#8

1395 – 1445?

Gil Eanes

Made Knight by Infante D. Henrique

Gil Eanes was the first Portuguese sea captain to sail past the physical and psychological barrier of Cape Bojador. The discovery of a navigable route around Cape Bojador was a huge milestone in the Age of the Discoveries as Portuguese ships began to traverse the globe.

#9

1450 - 1500

Bartolomeu Dias

Knight by the Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European mariner to round the southern tip of Africa, opening the way for a sea route from Europe to Asia. Dias’ ships rounded the perilous Cape of Good Hope and then sailed around Africa’s southernmost point, Cabo das Agulhas, to enter the waters of the Indian Ocean.

#10

1453 - 1515

Afonso de Albuquerque

Knight by the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword

Afonso de Albuquerque, the Duke of Goa, was a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. Considered a military genius, his program to gain control of all the main maritime trade routes of the East and to build permanent fortresses with settled populations laid the foundations of Portuguese hegemony in the Orient.

#11

1467 - 1520

Pedro Álvares Cabral

Knight by the Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Pedro Álvares Cabral was a Portuguese navigator that became the first European to reach and discover Brazil. His expedition was also the second from Europe to reach India via the sea route around the Cape of Good Hope (Vasco da Gama had done so in 1498).

#12

1469 - 1524

Vasco da Gama

Knight by the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword

Vasco da Gama is Portugal’s most popular historical figure who confirmed Portugal’s seafaring brilliance during the early 16th century. His voyages of discovery around the Cape of Good Hope, that discovered the oceanic trading route to India, rightfully earned him a reputation as one of the worlds greatest pioneer explores.

A powerful symnol of the knight's courage

A powerful symbol of the knight's courage

The Sword is a powerful symbol of the courage of our Knights who fought for a common cause - to build, protect and expand the Portuguese kingdom. It is in the strength of the sword and in the extraordinary epics and triumphs of the Knights that we were inspired to create this wine - an opulent red wine - ready to be uncorked and appreciated as a true Knight in his tales of bravery.