António Bernardo Ferreira bought the property in 1823, at that time called Quinta das Figueiras. He set out to create something magnificent. His transformation of this Quinta was not governed by any short-term objectives: it was a life-long investment. It took his team of five hundred workers thirteen years to carve vineyards out of the steep slopes and plant thousands of vines. But his visionary modernization efforts transformed the Douro and some years later, the wines from Quinta do Vesúvio would command the highest prices of any Portuguese wine in the United Kingdom, which was at that time the most important market for wine.