Quinta do Vallado - Renommiertes Weingut in Portugals Douro Region

In the heart of the Douro region, just a few kilometres from the historic centre of Régua, Quinta do Vallado stretches along both sides of the Corgo riverbank, a tributary of the Douro River. With its high quality wines, appreciated by the most prestigious experts in the world, Vallado is undoubtedly a landmark of the region. Here you can enjoy the best of the best of this unique region of Portugal. Quinta do Vallado was founded in 1716, making it one of the oldest and most famous "Quintas" in the Douro Valley. It was once owned by the legendary Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, and is still owned by her descendants, now in the sixth generation. The region and the viticulture owe a lot to this special lady and her life has already been filmed on Portuguese television. This remarkably enterprising woman took over the Ferreira company when she became a widow at the age of 33. Highly successful, she founded an entire empire of quintas in her lifetime, gaining both wealth and respect by investing her fortune in the infrastructure of the local Douro Valley; roads, schools and hospitals. João Ferreira Álvares Ribeiro, descendant of this famous and highly respected lady, has recently restored the family property and opened a hotel in the century-old mansion for those who are looking for a comfortable and quiet place to stay in this wonderfully picturesque area. For almost 200 years, the production of Port Wines was the main activity in Quinta do Vallado, marketed by Ferreira Port House. Oenologist Francisco Olazabal and Winery Manager Francisco Ferreira are members of the Douro Boys Association, which is made up of winemakers who, through the excellence of their wines, have contributed enormously to the international recognition of Portugal's red wines. "Douro Boy" Francisco Olazabal, who is not only winemaker on the estate of his family Quinta do Vale Meão and for his cousins on Quinta do Vallado, is also responsible for the wine production on Quinta do Mondego. Winemaker Francisco Olazabal, also known simply as 'Xito', was named Winemaker of the Year by the Portuguese wine magazine 'Revista de Vinhos'. The Douro region is often thought of as one large wine producing area, but it is made up of three different sub-regions, characterised by their rainfall, soil characteristics and general topography. In addition, each of these sub-regions has an exceptional variety of microclimates. Quinta do Vallado is located in the heart of the Cima Corgo, which is characterized by a warm and dry climate. The annual rainfall is 650 mm and the soil is dominated by slate to such an extent that in this area you can no longer speak of 'earth' in the true sense of the word - what is not stone is rock dust! Within this sub-region, around half a dozen small rivers flow into the Douro, each of which has its own tributary valley surrounded by steep terraced slopes. Vines in the Cima Corgo are sufficiently stressed by their environment to produce grapes with a great intensity of aromas, while the many different microclimates, thanks to the extreme contours of the land, ensure a great variety of flavours. Quinta do Vallado's vineyards are planted with a total of 64 hectares of vines, of which 38 hectares are cultivated with young vines aged 6-10 years and 26 with old vines of more than 60 years. The range of wines includes primarily white and red DOC Douro wines together with a selection of excellent Tawny Ports.