Port anD the Douro 117strong, dark wines with a scented character which Alistair Robertson, Chairman of the
Fladgate Partnership, describes as ‘violety’. Taylor’s were the first of the current generation to
release a single-quinta vintage Port with the launch of Quinta de Vargellas 1958. In order to
justify the extra costs involved, wine from the old unmechanised vineyards on the property
is now being bottled separately under the name Vargellas Vinha Velha. In declared years
Port from Vargellas forms a major part of Taylor’s vintage blend along with powerful wines
from the company’s other estates, Quinta de Terra Feita and Quinta do Junco, in the Pinhão
valley. The so-called ‘chalet’ at Vargellas has been transformed by Gillyanne Robertson into a
dwelling modelled on a comfortable English country house. That no doubt inspired the late
Willie Rushton to draw a cartoon that depicts the railway station at Vargellas with bowler-
hatted commuters as the ‘last outpost of the British Empire’!
Quinta dos Canais
Beira Grande, 5140 carrazeda de ansiães
Grade a.
The view across the river from Vargellas has been completely transformed since Cockburn’s
purchased this impressive property in 1989. The hillside has been reworked on patamares
and large numbers cypress trees have been planted to soften the impact. Canais is named
after the channels which, like Madeira’s levadas, transport water from the immense
waterfall that cascades off the granite behind the property during the winter and spring.
The predominantly south-facing vineyard extends to 100 hectares, 70 per cent of which
is Touriga Nacional. Canias has formed the backbone of Cockburn’s vintage blend for
over a hundred years and, as the new vineyards mature, this property has the capacity to
make some superlative Ports. The estate was bought by the Symington family along with
Cockburn’s assets in 2010. It will remain branded as a Cockburn quinta.
Quinta do Arnozelo
arnozelo, 5150 Vila nova de Foz côa
Grade a
Once part of Dona Antónia Ferreira’s empire, Quinta do Arnozelo is a 200-hectare estate
situated on the south side of the Douro, on the opposite side of the Ribeira da Silva inlet
from the hamlet of Arnozelo. The Port shipper Cálem, stripped of its vineyards (Foz,
Sagrado and Ferradosa) when the Cálem family sold the company in 1998, purchased
Arnozelo in 2004. The property rises from the river to an altitude of 300 metres and
has 100 hectares of vineyard, nearly all planted since 1992. Almost 50 per cent of the
vineyard is Touriga Nacional.
Quinta do Vesúvio
numão. 5150 Vila nova de Foz côa
Grade a
This legendary quinta is undeniably among the most impressive in the Douro. It boasts
the largest house, some of the biggest lagares and, like Lisbon, Rome and San Francisco,
it covers seven hills. The estate was created in the early nineteenth century by António