Founded in 1751, when the Port trade was dominated by British shippers, Ferreira is the oldest Portuguese Port house and remains the leader in the domestic market. It was under the leadership of Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, one of the formidable widows of the world of wine, that the company became the force it is today. Luís Sottomayor is at the winemaking helm and uses grapes from prime Douro vineyard sites and Ferreira’s flagship ‘Quinta do Porto’ to produce Ports characterised by an exuberant ripeness, exceptional concentration, weight and structure, yet wonderful balance. Today, Ferreira’s flagship vineyard is the 27-hectare Quinta do Porto. Planted in 1771 and acquired by Dona Antónia in 1863, the vineyard is located on the north bank of the Douro, downstream from the village of Pinhão and facing Sandeman’s Quinta do Seixo on the south bank. The combination of this warmer mesoclimate, due to the south/south-west exposure of the terraced vineyards, and proximity to the river, creates Ports characterised by an exuberant ripeness and exceptional concentration, alongside excellent balance. Old-vine parcels, described by winemaker Luís Sottomayor as “over retirement age”, produce low yields of intensely flavoured grapes and form the backbone of many of the top Ports in the Ferreira range. The entire Quinta is dry farmed using sustainable practices and harvesting is carried out by hand. The Rabigato, Gouveio, Códega and Malvasia Fina grapes are sourced from prime vineyard sites in the Cima Corgo and Baixo Corgo sub-regions of the Douro. The Douro is the largest mountainous vineyard area on earth and vines are planted on steep terraces sloping down to the Douro river, many of which are supported by ancient, Unesco-world-heritage-protected dry stone walls. Given the steep gradients and the inaccessibility for machinery, vineyard operations and harvesting are carried out by hand. Soils in the Douro are composed of a dense, slate-like, metamorphic rock called schist. In the Douro, the schist fractures vertically, allowing the vine roots to delve deep to access water and nutrients to sustain them through the hot Douro summers. The poor quality of the soil means that the vines produce low yields – on average 1.5kg of grapes per vine – of intensely concentrated fruit, packed with flavour. The grapes destined for the ‘Dóna Antónia’ 10-Year-Old White Port are late harvested, further concentrating the intense flavours. Read more
