216 Port anD the Douro
Ferreira
c/o Sogrape Vinhos SA
aldeia nova, 4430-809, avintes, Vila nova de Gaia
tel. (351) 227 850 300
http://www.sograpevinhos.eu
Founded in 1751 by José Ferreira, it was his great-granddaughter, Dona Antónia Adelaide
Ferreira, who effectively built the company up into the force it is today (see page 27).
She was nicknamed Ferreirinha (‘little Ferreira’), an affectionate Portuguese diminutive,
which lives on in local vernacular and on some of Ferreira’s labels. The company remained
under the ownership of her descendants until it was sold in 1997 to Sogrape, progenitors
of Mateus Rosé and Portugal’s largest winemakers. Until 1999 the company was managed
by Francisco (‘Vito’) Olazabal, Dona Antónia’s great-great-grandson, who represented the
eighth generation of the Ferreira family. Olazabal himself owns Quinta do Vale do Meão,
the spiritual home of Portugal’s most prestigious red wine, Barca Velha (see page 251).
Ferreira owns three superb properties in the Douro. Quinta do Porto, just downstream
from Pinhão, was purchased by Dona Antónia in 1863. Quinta da Leda is situated high
up in the Douro Superior, close to the Spanish border and a third vineyard, the fifteen-
hectare Quinta do Caedo, was purchased in 1990. Ferreira’s properties have been the
subject of considerable research and development in the 1980s. Under the auspices of
the late Jorge Maria Cabral Ferreira (to whom this book is dedicated), they pioneered the
vinha ao alto or vertical planting system at Quinta do Seixo (their fourth property, now
rebranded to Sandeman). Ferreira also purchase both grapes and wine from properties
owned by members of the family. Until 1989, it had the use of Quinta do Vesúvio, one of
the largest and most stately properties in the Douro, which used to belong to the Ferreira
family before it was bought by the Symingtons.
Ferreira’s vintage Ports are frequently underrated. Although not quite in the
heavyweight mould, wines from the 1980s onwards are well structured with richness and
staying power. Ferreira 2000 is a middle to heavyweight blend from Quintas Leda, Seixo
and Caedo. The company began producing an excellent unfiltered LBV in 1987, and in
subsequent years the wines have been consistently solid, dense and fruit-driven. They are
among the best of the genre.
Ferreira produce some very fine aged tawnies. Quinta do Porto is a well-developed
ten-year-old tawny made from grapes grown on the estate. Blended from a number
of properties in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior, the twenty-year-old Duque de
Bragança is a deliciously smooth, refined tawny combining freshness and the complexity
that comes with age. With an average age of around six years, Ferreira’s Dona Antónia
Reserva Pessoal has a hint of true tawny character with summer fruit and a peppery finish.
Sound, well-made ruby and tawny (the latter popular in Portugal) complete the range.
Ferreira is a leading brand in Portugal, helped by the advertising slogan, Foi vôce que pediu
... Porto Ferreira? (Was it you who asked for ... Porto Ferreira?) which was on everyone’s
lips in the 1970s and 1980s. France and Canada are also important markets.