Portugal — particularly the Douro region — is becoming a hot destination for wine enthusiasts and travelers alike. It is unique from other wine-growing regions because of its terrain and soil, but also because it grows grape varieties not seen elsewhere.
Those of you who haven’t discovered the incredible values coming from this region need to take notice.
The Douro River, the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula, stretches from Oporto and into Spain, merges with the Corgo River that defines the three subregions: Baixo Corgo (“below Corgo”), Cima Corgo (“above”) and Douro Superior (“upper”). The largest subregion is the Cima Cargo, where most of the well-known wineries are located.
While we have tasted many wines from this region, we were recently introduced to Quinta do Vesuvio, a Symington property in the challenging Douro Superior region. We always find that wines grown in difficult soils and climate are more intense and concentrated, and that’s the case in this subregion with the hottest and driest conditions.
According to Charles Symington, vineyards at Quinta do Vesuvio date back to 1823. The property runs alongside the Douro River,t less than 19 miles from the Spanish border. Protected from the humid winds off the Atlantic Ocean and planted on steep hillsides, vines have their work cut out for them.
The least accessible of the three subregions, the upper Douro producers must rely on terraced vineyards that make harvest difficult. Vineyards are grown in heights ranging from 328 feet to more than 1,500 feet. If this isn’t challenging enough, summers are hot and dry.
According to Symington, normal rainfall is just 24 inches annually; in 2020 the region experienced just eight inches, the lowest on record. Because of these difficult conditions, yields here are about a ton per acre — one of the lowest yields in the world.
However difficult the conditions, the grapes that come from these struggling vines are fresh and intense with a thread of minerality. Soils here are significantly less acidic, which shows in the wines’ softer character.
Although table wine was made in Portugal for decades, it wasn’t until the 1990s when it was exported after the country entered the European Economic Community. It was only recently when we began to realize that wine from here, despite its unfamiliar grape varieties, were a great value because they were trying to gain attention in a growing sea of European wine.
Symington said his family slowly added table wines to the port already made at Quinta do Vesuvio when it acquired the property in 1989. The first table wine wasn’t released until 2009.
“We learned quite a lot since that time,” he said.
North-facing slopes, for instance, are better in such extreme locations because they produce riper wines with higher quality. Climate change also has been vexing as temperatures are more extreme and rain even less plentiful in some years.
He said they are experimenting with different grape varieties and using cover crops to prevent erosion, as what little rains wash down steep hillsides. Once banned about six years ago, irrigation is now permitted. Symington said if a producer doesn’t irrigate, the death rate of vines is unsustainable.
Symington Family Estates has been producing wine in the Douro Valley for more than 130 years. They make the top ports, including Graham’s, Dow’s, Warre’s and Cockburn’s. But they also are leading the way to introducing table wines from its 26 quintas.
Quinta do Vesuvio is its largest at 328 acres. In 1999 it teamed up with the Prats family in Bordeaux to make a premium wine, Chryseia, and its second label, Post Scriptum.
We were astounded by the quality of the wines we tasted from Quinta do Vesuvio, a testimony to Symington’s insistence on quality. There is something for every pocketbook here:
Quinta do Vesuvio Comboio do Vesuvio DOC 2020 ($25). The train on the label recognizes the track that runs alongside this vineyard. Its constant rumble obviously doesn’t disturb the vines. It is an almost even share of touriga franca, touriga nacional and tinta roriz grapes.
It is not aged in oak, which makes this fruit-forward quaff easy to drink alongside everyday fare. Youthful strawberry aromas with ripe plum and cherry flavors with a hint of clove and ripe tannins. Despite the dry vintage, Symington was able to produce a balanced wine from hand-picked grapes.
Quinta do Vesuvio Pombal do Vesuvio DOC 2021 ($32). With 2021 experiencing more normal rainfall, winemaker Mariana Brito had fewer obstacles to create exceptional wine, such as this one. Touriga nacional and touriga franca make up most of the blend with a little tinta amarela and the emerging alicante bouschet.
The aromas were more effusive in this wine with notes of lavender and fennel. Plum and cherry flavors follow with firm tannins to portend good things for those who let this full-bodied wine age. Serve it with a good steak or hearty stew.
Alicante bouschet is performing well here as a hearty grape to withstand the region’s difficult climate. It also adds complexity, color and structure to a wine. Because of its boldness, Symington said it will never exceed 20% of a blend.
Quinta do Vesuvio Quinta do Vesuvio DOC 2021 ($100). The flagship wine of the property and made in small quantities from select grapes, this concentrated wine is magnificent. Macerated for three weeks on grape skins, it has a high extraction and intense aromas of roses and herbs.
A blend of touriga franca and touriga nacional with just 2% of tinta amarela, the wine has black fruit flavors with nuances of dark chocolate, tobacco leaf and tea. It spends 15 months in French oak barrels and has tannins and acidity to make it mature for 10 years or more.
We also had the pleasure to taste a barrel sample of the property’s 2022 port that will be released this fall. Due to a number of heat waves and severe drought, it is questionable whether the top properties will declare a vintage this year.
Wine picks
Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma County 2022 ($26). One of our favorite dependable zins from California. Luscious black raspberry and cherry, with a touch of oak. Perfect for summer barbecues.
Ventisquero Vertice Colchagua Valley Apalta Vineyard Chile 2019 ($28-32). This is an amazing value that confirms our belief in Chile’s carmenere grape. Almost 50/50 carmenere and syrah produces a big, rich cherry and cassis-flavored wine.
Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr have been writing a weekly, syndicated wine column since 1985. See their blog at moreaboutwine.com. They can be reached at marq1948@gmail.com.