122 Port anD the Douro
Quinta da Leda
almendra, 5150 Vila nova de Foz côa
Grade a/B
Ferreira’s easterly outpost was established in 1978 at the same time as Cockburn and Ramos
Pinto were setting up similar labour-saving operations in the Douro Superior. Lying in a
basin on the south side of the Douro and separated from the river by the Calabria hill,
Jorge Ferreira literally transformed the landscape at Leda. When I first visited the property
in the summer of 1982 the ‘quinta’ was no more than a couple of air-conditioned huts
surrounded by twenty-five hectares of vines on remarkably tough schistous soils. The
property has subsequently expanded to cover eighty-seven hectares and now has one of the
most advanced wineries in the Douro, much of it submerged into the hillside as a form of
temperature control. Robotic treaders work eight granite lagares. Wines from Leda (which
means ‘joyful’ or ‘hilarious’) tend to have a typically hot, ripe, character and are destined to
form part of Ferreira’s vintage or traditional LBV blends. Fruit from the property is used for
the basis of the now legendary Barca Velha (see Chapter 6) as well as estate wines bottled
under the names Callabriga and Quinta da Leda.
Quinta da Urze
almendra, 5150 Vila nova de Foz côa
Grade a/B
Urze (meaning ‘heather’ or ‘heath’) is situated above the Ribeira d’Aguiar. Out of a total
of 190 hectares, just 14 are planted with vines and the remainder is given to olive groves.
Urze is one of seven properties in the Douro Superior belonging to the Casa Agricola
Roboredo Madeira (CARM) and houses their original adega equipped with granite lagares.
The Madeira family’s other quintas in the district are Bispado, Calabria, Côa, Marvalhas,
Pedra Escrita and Verdalhas.
Quinta de Canameira and Quinta de Vigia Redonda
5180 Freixo de espada á cinta
Grade a/B
These remote properties opposite and upstream from Barca d’Alva have extensive river
frontage. They were bought by Rozès in 2000 and together have sixty-five hectares of
vineyard, much of it irrigated.
Quinta do Silho
Barca d’alva, 6440 Figueira de castelo Rodrigo
Grade a
On the south side of the river almost on the frontier with Spain, Quinta do Silho is the most
easterly of all the historic Douro quintas. It was planted by Miguel António Ferreira in 1820
and was of sufficient importance to be marked on Forrester’s 1848 map.