Quinta do Vallado’s initial focus was on the production of Port wines, which were marketed by the family business, Casa Ferreira. This remained the status quo until 1987, when Casa Ferreira was sold. This prompted the company to expand its activities to include the production, bottling and marketing of wines under its own brand.
Given the region’s prior focus on Port wine, a significant marketing initiative was undertaken to raise awareness of the Douro’s DOC wines.
“It was necessary to bring together the various estates in the Douro region in order to promote the region on the international market!”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
The growing recognition of the quality of Quinta do Vallado wines and the resulting demand led to the construction of a new winery with sufficient production capacity to meet market needs. In 2008, construction began on the new winery, an investment of around €5 million, which enabled Quinta do Vallado to respond to high market demand.
“At Vallado, we strive to increase production every year, but without ever compromising the quality of our wines. Fortunately, it’s going well!”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
Today, with 100 hectares of vineyards and recognised worldwide for the quality of its Douro and Port wines, Quinta do Vallado applies technology to its traditional wine production system in order to respond to market demands and maintain the quality of its wines.
Quinta do Vallado wines are sold in Portugal, the US, Brazil, the UK and Asia. The most popular wines on the domestic market are the entry-level wines, while the top wines are the most popular on the international market.
In addition to wine production, Quinta do Vallado is also dedicated to wine tourism, offering accommodation at the Hotel Quinta do Vallado or Casa do Rio, as well as tours, visits and tastings.
“Wine tourism is of great importance to Quinta do Vallado as it helps to promote our wines!”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
Catarina Penelas – Head of the Quality Control Department
Eng. Catarina Penelas is an accomplished oenologist, having studied the subject at UTAD and gained valuable experience at Adega Cooperativa de Meda for seven years. In 2010, she assumed the role of Head of the Quality Control Department at Quinta do Vallado, where she continues to make significant contributions.
As Head of the Quality Control Department, she helped define a strategy that would allow for the control of the entire wine production process, from the arrival of the grapes to the bottling of the wine.
“I never wanted a routine job; I wanted a job where every day was different.”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
Wine production at Quinta do Vallado
Quinta do Vallado winery is organised by gravity. The grapes are received at the highest point of the winery, and as the wine production process evolves, the wine is bottled on the ground floor.
The vineyards
Quinta do Vallado currently has 65 hectares of vineyards in the Baixo Corgo region, including 10 hectares of old vines planted between the 1920s and 1950s, notably the Vinha da Granja, 1929, and the Vinha da Coroa, 1958. These are one of the main assets that Quinta do Vallado has inherited from past generations, as they have enormous potential for producing exceptional wines.
In Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Quinta do Vallado acquired Quinta do Orgal where, since 2009, 35 hectares of vineyards have been planted, using organic farming methods that seek to respect the environmental balance.
The quality of the grapes is essential at Quinta do Vallado, and as such, an Agricultural Department was created to ensure the quality levels required for the production of its wines. In addition, single varietals, old vines and producer vines are vinified separately. Subsequently, the oenology team makes the blend and decides which wines to mix.
“In the cellar, we try to enhance the quality of the grapes. Nobody can perform miracles! You cannot make good wine with poor quality grapes.”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
The first grape variety to be harvested at Quinta do Vallado is Moscatel Galego, as it is a very sensitive variety and has a very short optimal ripening period. This variety is used to produce Prima wine, named Prima because it is the first to be harvested.
“We need to visit the vineyard every two days to see how it is developing and when to start harvesting.”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
The labour shortage in the Douro region is well known. Although Quinta do Vallado has 20 permanent employees for the harvest, this is not enough. The only way to obtain labour is through agricultural contractors.
“I don’t know where the Douro will end up! Every year it gets worse, and the characteristics of the Douro require that the work be done by people.”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
The grape harvest
Quinta do Vallado Weighbridge
At Quinta do Vallado, the harvest takes about a month and a half. During this time, the team works tirelessly, as it is their work during this period that will define the wines that will be released onto the market in two years’ time.
The grapes arrive in 20kg boxes, which are weighed on Barcelbal’s weighbridge. This is a very important process for Quinta do Vallado, as the weight of the boxes cannot exceed 20/22kg, otherwise it means that the grapes are already crushed.
The truck weighbridge measures 8×2.60 m and has a capacity of 30 t. In 2009, when the new winery was built, Quinta do Vallado upgraded the truck weighbridge from mechanical to electronic in order to ensure maximum effectiveness, accuracy and efficiency in weighing.
“We have always worked together and I have only good things to say! We are satisfied. Whenever necessary, Barcelbal was there to help.”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
After being weighed on Barcelbal’s weighbridge, the grapes pass through the selection conveyor belt, where they are sorted and any grapes that are not in good condition are rejected.
Quinta do Vallado uses two grape reception lines, one fixed and one mobile. The mobile line allows the grapes used in the top wines to avoid the action of the pump, i.e. they are unloaded directly into the vat by gravity. This enables the oenology team to further enhance the quality of the grapes.
Fermentation
Quinta do Vallado Winery
At Quinta do Vallado, fermentation takes place in granite stone presses using traditional methods involving foot treading and in vats with and without pumping over, all equipped with a cooling system. The vats without pumping over have a robot with a paddle that moves along rails and performs a gentler pumping over.
The granite vats are mainly used to vinify vintage port wines or old vines.
All vats are connected to a computer system that controls the temperature and frequency of the pump over and issues alerts when the vat is not as programmed. However, Catarina Penelas states that the team manually controls all processes in any case.
The ageing
Quinta do Vallado Winery
After leaving the vat, the wine is aged in 225-litre French oak barrels for 1 to 2 years. During the ageing process, the oenology team analyses and tastes all the barrels once a month to monitor the wine’s evolution.
The barrels are properly identified to enable the traceability of the wine and are only used 4 to 5 times, as they absorb wine and eventually lose their initial characteristics and quality.
“Ageing wine is very expensive! First, there is the cost of each barrel, then the cost of the wine that is lost during ageing, and the energy consumption required to maintain the cellar in ideal conditions.”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
The bottling of wine
The bottling of wine is the final stage of the production process carried out at Quinta do Vallado, since labelling and shipping have been moved to Vila Real due to lack of space.
In 2010, Quinta do Vallado bottled around 400,000 bottles and, in 2021, it bottled almost 1,400,000 bottles of wine and intends to increase this figure even further.
“This year we are having great difficulty sourcing bottles, as many of them are produced in Eastern Europe. And when it comes to packaging and labels, we already have to order a year in advance.”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
The Wines
Quinta do Vallado offers a wide range of wines. According to Catarina Penelas, the most popular red wines are Touriga Nacional and Reserva Field Blend, and for those who enjoy fruity and aromatic white wines, Prima is the favourite.
“Adelaide does not go to market every year, only in years of high quality. We were at the 2017 Adelaide tastings and we still do not know when it will go to market.”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
Port wine
Quinta do Vallado Port Wine Cellar
The ageing process for Port wine is quite different from that of DOC wines. In Port wine cask cellars, there is no temperature or humidity control, as there is in DOC wine barrel cellars. Here, the humidity and temperature are natural, and the casks are made of chestnut wood.
Port wine needs tranquillity and time! For example, thunderstorms can interfere with a barrel of port wine. Sometimes thunder can cause the sediment to rise a little, or a barrel to start leaking.
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
Sustainability
Quinta do Vallado’s sector of activity is directly dependent on the environment, since wine production is impossible without it. Therefore, Quinta do Vallado undertakes various actions to contribute as much as possible to protecting the environment and combating climate change.
In addition to waste separation and energy savings with LED lighting, Quinta do Vallado has installed a water treatment system to capture water from the river and use it in production. After use, the water is returned to the river via a wastewater treatment plant.
Furthermore, Quinta do Vallado is committed to working with suppliers with a lower carbon footprint, creating internal awareness campaigns to reduce water and energy consumption, and installing solar panels.
Additionally, although some vineyards are still in conversion to organic farming, a large part of the old vineyards in Régua and the vineyards in the Upper Douro are already all organic.
According to Catarina Penelas, Quinta do Vallado helps in any way it can, as the lack of rain and increasingly high temperatures mean that the grapes ripen early, requiring the harvest to be carried out around two weeks before usual.
“In 2017, we began harvesting Muscat grapes on 9 August. This had never happened before; on 9 August we were usually on holiday.”
– Eng. Catarina Penelas
The success of Quinta do Vallado is our success!
