When a winemaking cooperative is poorly managed and pays badly and (very) late, its members run into serious problems. Some begin selling their grapes to private clients, who pay better and on time, but others have to take more radical and often risky measures, particularly when they produce large volumes. Such was the case with four members of the Adega Cooperativa da Covilhã, who joined forces to tackle the difficulties inflicted on them by the cooperative. In the countryside, where individualism is the byword, this really made waves and was only possible because the entrepreneurs involved were businessmen well-accustomed to overcoming obstacles. António Gouveia, a building contractor from the Almada region, was one of the leading figures behind the initiative, along with José Manuel Canhoto, who also had links to construction, Francisco Cabral, a clothing industrialist, and Isabel Paiva, an economist with ties to the ceramics industry. The fifth partner, Luís Costa, came on board because he was an agricultural engineer at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), meaning he had the technical background to oversee the project. Feeling dejected after a general meeting of the Adega Cooperativa da Covilhã, they decided to work together and steer their businesses in a new direction. The business model was based exclusively on producing and marketing wines made using the partners' own grapes. Their vineyards span some 60 hectares and extend across two rival neighbouring parishes, so the partners required considerable diplomacy when naming the company. The two (2) parishes, Caria and Belmonte, and five (5) partners gave the company its name: 2.5 Vinhos de Belmonte, Lda., which only incorporates the name of one of the parishes, since the company's head office and winery were built in the other. This solution succeeded in placating all parties. In 2009, work began to construct a modern winery under the direction of prestigious oenologist Anselmo Mendes. Unable to devote the necessary time to the project, he brought in the young oenologist Patrícia Santos to help him monitor the wines.

The first vintage arrived in 2009 and instantly showed that the region now had another leading producer-bottler within its ranks. Awards began to roll in, both at home and abroad, and the 2.5 brand soon entered the lexicon of an army of Beira Interior wine lovers. However, the five partners quickly realised that the hardest part of the business was selling the wine with added value, especially when starting from scratch under a little-known designation of origin. This led them to focus on Beira Interior PDO boxed wine, which accounts for around 80% of total production. The rest, of even better quality and made using some of the region's historic grape varieties, is bottled and sold almost entirely on the domestic market.

Vineyards

Vineyard operations management: Partners

Area of own vineyards: 60 hectares

Grape origin: Own and third-party grapes

Viticulture type: Integrated production

White grape varieties: Síria, Arinto, Chardonnay, Fonte Cal

Red grape varieties: Rufete, Jaen, Tinta Roriz, Syrah, Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante Bouschet

Wine cellar

General manager: José Manuel Canhoto

Oenologists: Paulo Amaral and Hélder Cunha

Cellar master: Ricardo Almeida

Types of wine produced: White, rosé and red

Wine brands: doispontocinco

Percentage of PDO/PGI production: 100% PGI

Average annual production: 30,000 bottles

Production destination: Internal market

Wine tourism

Events

Wine shop

Wine tasting

Part of the Beira Interior Wine Route