THE GOLDEN KEY WINE
The Golden Key is a fortified or spirit wine with unique characteristics that is produced only in the Mação region. There was a time when this wine was one of the great ambassadors of this land.
As early as the 18th century, there are records that it was a well-known wine of Arcádia Lusitana, founded in 1756, sung by various poets such as Filinto Elysio and Curvo Semedo, but it was it was the poet António Dinis da Cruz e Silva (1731-1799), the famous Elpino Nonacriense, who immortalized this special wine in Dithirambo VIII (recited on May 31, 1759) dedicated to the Countess of Oeiras, wife of the Marquis of Pombal, with the following poem:
"I don't want Burgundy;
I don't want Champagne;
I don't want Tockai;
Nor wine from the Cape;
I don't taste foreign wines;
I don't praise them.
I want wine that cheers me up, that warms me;
Give me some of that, which is stored in the vat,
Sweet excellent Mação juice,
Esteemed and valued chamberlain
From Evio Lysio in the vine-covered house,
Thus called
The golden key.
This, then, oh beautiful Countess,
Glory and pride of Oeiras Formosa,
I toast and consecrate to you.
Long live the great Countess, long live, long live."
We know from this poem that the wine arrived in Oeiras in vats (casks) and that it was a sweet wine, “Give me some of that, which is stored in the vat,/ Sweet excellent Mação juice,” followed by a verse that caused so much confusion among many authors and gave them the wrong idea about the origin of the name Golden Key, confusing Chamberlain, “Camarista estimado e valído” (esteemed and valued chamberlain), with something that belonged to the City Council, presumably a barrel locked with a golden key (probably in a confusing reference to taxes paid in wine, as well as olive oil, whose barrels were stored in the City Council's warehouse and were destroyed by the French during one of their invasions). However, according to Morais da Silva, in his Novo Dicionário Compacto de Língua Portuguesa (New Compact Dictionary of the Portuguese Language), Camarista is a noble person who serves in the King's Chamber and is close to him. We thus have two possible interpretations: one that praises wine as noble in the service of the king, esteemed and valued (favorite), and another that refers to a specific Camarista of D. José I, appointed Interprete Mor, member of the royal censorship board and great supporter of Pombaline Regalism, staunchly defending the separation of powers between Church and State. We are talking about the illustrious theologian and Latinist, a native of Mação, Father António Pereira de Figueiredo (1725-1797). His friendship with the Marquis of Pombal was proverbial, and he was praised by him as follows: “Father Figueiredo is a bottomless and mudless well of wisdom.”
Three verses at the end, “De Evio Lysio na Casa enramada,/ Por isso chamado / Da chave dourada” (From Evio Lysio in the vine-covered house, / Thus called / Of the golden key), draw our attention to the use of Greek terms that were widely used at the time, Evio (which is celebrated with cries of Evoé, the cries of the Bacchantes, priestesses of Bacchus, the god of wine) and Lysio (Paradise) linked to the enigma of the “House of vines” which, according to Christian iconography, is nothing more than the genealogy of Christ represented in the Tree of Jesse (one of the most beautiful examples of which can be found in the Mother Church of Mação), that is, the Church. This may mean that it was produced by the Church or on Church lands, and that is why it was called Chave Dourada (Golden Key), a recurring figure in its coats of arms, especially that of the Pope, where a golden key crosses a silver one, alluding to the keys of St. Peter, the first Pope. In other words, the name of the wine is Chave Dourada because it comes from Church/Diocese lands or from someone connected to it. It was probably Father Figueiredo himself, in his comings and goings between Mação and Lisbon, who offered or sold the wine within the Court, either as a representative of the Church or in a private capacity.
It was also reported in the Revista Municipal de Lisboa (Lisbon Municipal Magazine) - in the second quarter of 1983, in an article signed by Fernanda Castelo-Branco entitled VINHOS NA INAUGURAÇÃO DA ESTÁTUA EQUESTRE DE D. JOSÉ I (Wines at the inauguration of the equestrian statue of D. José I) - that the inauguration of the equestrian statue of D. José gave rise to great festivities. Among the largest our country has ever seen. This extensive production includes a separate sheet entitled “Lists of Wines and Liqueurs to be served at the dinner given by the Senate on the first night of the celebrations for the unveiling of the Equestrian Statue,” probably printed for distribution during the event to which it refers: the supper, part of the inaugural festivities, offered by the Lisbon City Council. There were many national and international wines, and as for the national wines from the metropolitan area, the following were served, under the generic indication of Wines from the Lisbon Region:
Carcavelos,
Lavradio red,
Lavradio white,
Barra barra de uva marota,
Barra barra doce,
De Setúbal Moscatel,
Da Golegã,
Da Chave Dourada...
Currently, despite still having a low production volume—not as low as a few years ago, when tasting this “Doce çumo Mação excellente” was only possible by invitation from one of the very few mini-producers—Chave Dourada wine is already showing signs of revitalization, having entered the daily life of the regional market of the municipality of Mação through several producers with more significant production volumes.
Rethinking production on a larger commercial scale could be a factor in local development, both economically and in terms of tourism and culture.
It is in this context that the Confraria do Vinho da Chave Dourada (Golden Key Wine Guild) was created in 2015, with the aim of developing and promoting this unique wine, creating a well-known cultural brand, with the organization, among other activities, of regional cultural events such as Fado nights, national events such as Mação TT - Tasca Tur (a journey through the municipality's tangible and intangible heritage), now in its third edition, and international events such as FICA - Festival Internacional de Cinema Arte de Mação (Mação International Art Film Festival), now in its second edition. These activities were interrupted by the pandemic and, for various logistical reasons, will only resume in 2026, with some new features that will enrich the cultural activity of the Confraria and, consequently, the municipality of Mação.
Tó Zé Cardoso 2025
CONTACTS
Email: casamaechavedourada@gmail.com
SOCIAL MEDIA
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