As a tourist, the Douro Valley in Northern Portugal is an entrancing place to visit. It’s dramatic and breathtaking, with vineyards climbing up either side and a river cutting through the floor of the valley. Hop aboard a riverboat and cruise up it, watching as the steep vineyards slope skyward on the banks of the river. Restaurants and wineries dot the length of the river, making for plenty of places to stop and soak in Portuguese culture.
But as a winemaker, the Douro isn’t an easy place to work. Those steep slopes? That makes farming vines a difficult endeavor—harvesting grapes (or even checking on the vines) can make for a serious commitment to getting your steps in, as vineyards can reach an incline of 30% or higher. Tie in strict farming rules dictated by the region to uphold quality in the Douro Valley, and producers have their work cut out for them. Nevertheless, pioneering producer Casa Ferreirinha has been carefully crafting Douro wines for over 250 years. They keep things old school—highlighting ancient Douro grape varietals and using horses to help tend the land. When all the grapes come in from harvest, they call their friends, pour some wine, and stomp the grapes by foot—ten people per vat (legare), stomping in a military rhythm.
That manual labor pays off. Casa Ferreirinha’s line-up of wines is a deep-dive into Douro history, starting with Papa Figos, aromatic, expressive reds and whites at a drink-anytime price point. As you move up their range, you’re introduced to more blue-chip wines like Quinta da Leda, a velvety, silky but powerful wine made from Portuguese indigenous grapes—Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cao, and Tinta Roriz. It’s bursting with black fruit and beautifully integrated oak, all brought together with notes of aromatic flowers and candied orange rind. $65
Kate Dingwall is a WSET-trained sommelier and spirits writer. Her work has appeared in Wine Enthusiast, Eater, Forbes.com, and Food & Wine, and she pours wine at one of Canada’s top restaurants.