Quinta Do Portal

From Quinta Do Portal:

 We wish to make the best wines and fortified wines from the special grape varietals grown in this unique demarcated wine area of the Douro.

To do this we have set ourselves four key targets:

• To use the five key red grape varietals grown in this region, allied to the finest expertise in the use of new oak maturation, to make startling new red wines of unique quality. This has meant seeking long and detailed advice in Bordeaux from Pascal Chatonnet of the world famous Institute d'Oenologie. This has led to very considerable investment in the use of new oak barriques since 1993. This type of classic red fine winemaking is quite new to our region.

• To take a key white grape of our region, the Malvasia, to make a range of delicious dry white wines; again using the finest modern cold fermentation techniques for maximum flavour extraction of the distinctive flavours of this local grape variety.

• Favaios, a village in our region at the North end of the Pinhão Valley has for centuries been recognised as the greatest area for dessert Muscats in Portugal. We own considerable, well established Muscat vineyards just south of the village of Favaios. We believe we can produce a truly world class dessert Moscatel from our vineyards.

• Finally, for generations we have long been producers of Tawny ports in the Pinhao valley; wood aged dessert ports of great complexity. Light golden in colour from the effect of long years aging in oak barrels. We also know that in time we have the capacity to producing outstanding classic vintage ports.

We own our own family vineyards so we have considerable control over our own production from vineyard to grape. These holdings are divided into four Quintas: Quinta da Abelheira, Quinta do Confradeiro, Quinta dos Muros, and Quinta do Portal; a total of 95 hectares of vineyards. In the way that many top wineries are able to do in the Douro Region; we can make a selection of the best grapes from top vineyard owners in the Pinhão Valley to vinify and mature in oak, select and blend.