Port ProDuCers anD shiPPers 225Quinta do noval*
Quinta do Noval – Vinhos, SA
avenida diogo Leite, 256, apartado 1319, 4401-111 Vila nova de Gaia
tel.(351) 223 770 270
http://www.quintadonoval.com
Noval brought the word ‘quinta’ into the international lexicon. The property first appeared
in the land registries in 1715 and passed through the hands of the Rebello Valente family
and Visconde de Vilar d’Allen in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Having been
ravaged by phylloxera in the 1880s, Quinta do Noval was sold in 1894 to Port shipper
António José da Silva. The estate was thoroughly renovated and the major part of the
vineyard was replanted on phylloxera-resistant American rootstock. It seems, however, that
da Silva planted a small parcel of vines on their own roots, thoroughly fumigating the soil
in advance. This marked the beginning of Quinta do Noval’s now legendary Nacional Port,
produced entirely from ungrafted vines (see below).
António José da Silva was followed into the business by his son-in-law Luís Vasconcelos
Porto, who ran Noval for nearly three decades. Vasconcelos continued where da Silva
left off, transforming many of the narrow terraces into the wider inclined terraces that
made better use of the space and allowed more exposure to the sun. He also did much
to build Quinta do Noval’s reputation in the UK, targeting Noval’s sales on Oxford and
Cambridge colleges as well as private clubs. Noval claims a number of firsts: the first
inclined terraces (socalcos) were apparently built here in the 1920s; the first tawnies with
an indication of age and, more controversially, Noval claims the first LBV dating from
the mid-1950s.
Vasconcelos retired in 1963 and his grandsons, Fernando and Luís van Zeller, took
over the running of the company. This marked a turning point. The vineyard was not
as well looked after and Noval’s wines began to suffer after 1970. In 1981 the company
suffered a fire at its lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia, which destroyed 350,000 litres of stock
as well as the company’s archives. This, combined with a long-running family dispute,
eventually brought the company to its knees. In 1993 the van Zeller family sold out to
the French insurance company AXA. Quinta do Noval is now part of AXA Millésimes,
a group that includes a number of distinguished Bordeaux chateaux (Château Pichon
Longueville, Château Suduiraut) and owns Disnoko in the Tokay region of Hungary. The
Noval vineyard was largely replanted from 1994 onwards. Noval is very ably managed
from France by the Managing Director of AXA Millésimes, Christian Seely, who has
spent years ‘putting things right’ – to use his own words. Continuity has been maintained
by António Agrellos who worked for the van Zellers and looks after the estate and the
winemaking.
Taking advantage of the change in legislation in 1986, Noval moved lock, stock, and
barrel from the Vila Nova de Gaia entreposto to the Douro. A lodge was built on the estate
with air-conditioning to mitigate the summer heat, and a bottling plant has been set up
on the cooler altos above Alijó. About one third of the company’s production originates
from Noval’s own vineyards, which include the neighbouring Quinta das Canadas and