Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port

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Quinta do Vesuvio is legendary, its history spanning over five centuries and including many of the most prominent figures in the Port trade.

The transformation of Vesuvio into the Douro’s showpiece vineyard was begun by António Bernardo Ferreira, an established Douro grower who bought the Quinta in 1823. With great vision and single-minded determination he set about building a vineyard on a scale never before seen in the Douro. In addition to building hundreds of terraces and planting many thousands of grape vines, all by hand, an adega (winery) was constructed of truly massive proportions. The endeavour was so great that it took legions of workers thirteen years to complete. Within a few years Vesuvio was widely regarded as the Douro’s finest property. A proud António Bernardo Ferreira wrote in May 1827, “All the English have poured praise on my lodge and hold that they cannot find another adega to match mine in the Douro…stating frankly that both in Oporto and the Douro, nobody has better wines.”

On the death of the owner in 1835, Vesuvio was bequeathed to his son, António Bernardo Ferreira II, who had married his cousin Antónia Adelaide Ferreira just a year before. A decade later Dona Antónia was widowed and the destiny of Vesuvio was left in her exceptionally capable hands. One of the most celebrated figures in the Port trade, Dona Antónia devoted her energy and immense fortune to the upkeep and development of her numerous Douro vineyard properties. It was under her stewardship that Quinta do Vesuvio consolidated its prestige and attained its legendary status.

Dona Antónia’s descendants continued to make excellent wines at Vesuvio, down the generations, but the wines were either blended with those from other family properties or were sold to other Port producers. Consequently, Vesuvio’s wines became increasingly anonymous and slowly slid into relative obscurity. The Quinta’s celebrated status, however, endured the passage of time.

In 1989 Quinta do Vesuvio was purchased by the Symington family whose involvement in the production of Port began more than a century ago. Recognizing the potential of this historic vineyard, they were determined to restore the Quinta to its former glory. From the outset, the family decided to preserve the history and traditional character of the Quinta. Over the course of the last 15 years, Vesuvio has been the focus of an extensive and ongoing renovation project.

The result is breathtaking to behold. Quinta do Vesuvio has reclaimed its profile as one of the Douro’s finest Quintas as well as establishing itself as a premier Vintage Port in its own right. The highly positive recognition from the wine community, the press and all of the pre-eminent international wine tasting competitions, bears testament to Vesuvio’s reaffirmation as the producer of amongst the Douro’s greatest Vintage Ports.