José Maria dos Santos, son of Caetano dos Santos (a blacksmith or farrier) and Gertrudes Maria, became a wealthy farmer and the greatest Portuguese winegrower, thanks to his unique business management skills at the time.
It is said that he planted the largest vineyard in the world, between Herdade de Rio Frio and Poceirão, after finding his fortune by marrying Maria Cândida Ferreira Braga, daughter of the capitalist Alexandre José Ferreira Braga and Baroness of São Romão, by marriage to Manuel Gomes da Costa São Romão, who had left her widow. The Baron of São Romão held all the titles to the property, which he had acquired in the 1850s with the Venda do Alcaide land grant, thus transferring capital from the urban domain to the agricultural sector (which was not a very common practice at the time).
José Maria dos Santos was a member of parliament and a Peer of the Realm. However, he is said to have rejected the titles of nobility that were intended to be granted to him.