106 Port anD the Douro
Quinta das Carvalhas*
casais do douro, 5085 Pinhão
http://www.realcompanhiavelha.pt
Grade a
The entire hill opposite Pinhão belongs to the Silva Reis family, the principal shareholders
in Real Companhia Velha (Royal Oporto) and among the largest landowners in the Douro.
Carvalhas itself extends to some 600 hectares. The summit of the hill is crowned by the
modern Casa Redonda (Round House), known locally as the ‘Holiday Inn’! It commands
one of the best views in the Douro, although Quinta do Seixo on the opposite side of the
Torto must feel slightly threatened by the two cannons that point in that direction.
the Pinhão Valley
The deeply incised Pinhão valley has a huge area of vineyard, much of it hidden from
view. Up from the narrow river mouth, the valley opens out and vineyards extend over 10
kilometres upstream, covering the precipitous slopes from an altitude of 150 metres above
sea level to over 500 metres. Like the Rio Torto, the Port shippers treat the Pinhão valley as
a sub-region in its own right. Sheltered on all sides, the best vineyards (Grade A) are those
at lower altitudes (150–350 metres) that extend down to the river. These produce some
of the very finest Ports, prized for their balance and finesse. Nearly all the major shippers
have a stake here. Unless you are prepared to go on a 4x4 safari it is difficult to take in the
extent and importance of the Pinhão valley as most of the finest vineyards lie below the
Pinhão–Sabrosa and Pinhão–Alijó roads. If you do manage to venture off-piste, you cannot
fail to be struck by the scale and serenity of the place.
Quinta da Eira Velha
Gouvães, 5085 Pinhão
Grade a
At an altitude of nearly 200 metres, Eira Velha looks straight down on the mouth of the River
Pinhão and boasts one of the finest views in the Douro. The quinta has a long recorded history,
having been owned by the See of the Archbishop of Braga in the sixteenth century. In 1893
it was bought by the firm of Hunt Roope and thence passed into the hands of the Newmans,
an old-established trading family from Devon, England, who were among those to exchange
Portuguese wine for bacalhau in the seventeenth century. Eira Velha is famous for its panels of
blue and white tiles or azulejos surrounding the lagares, one of which illustrates the Newmans’
shipping interests. From the late 1970s until 2007 Eira Velha supplied Martinez, and in the
recent game of musical chairs it was bought by the Fladgate Partnership.
Quinta do Junco
são cristóvão do douro, 5085 Pinhão
Grade a
So precipitous are the slopes of the Pinhão valley at Quinta do Junco that it is difficult to see
the property from the Pinhão–Sabrosa road which runs immediately underneath. Owned
by Borges & Irmão for most of the twentieth century, in 1998 it was sold to Taylor’s in a