Maturation studies are carried out in the vineyard from mid August in order to select the ideal picking date for each grape variety and for each part of the Quinta. All picking is done by hand, with a careful selection being made. The grapes are then taken in small trays to the “adega” on the estate. Vesuvio is one of the very few estates in the Douro where the entire production of the property is made by foot treading in the traditional stone lagares (most, if not all Quintas that still tread also have other fermentation tanks as well). The magnificent 24 pipe lagares at Vesuvio are among the largest in the Douro, each requiring at least 50 people to tread. The commitment to quality is brought into focus when one considers that most lagares require less than half this number. During the harvest, only the very best grapes are used to make the wine, and even then, Vintage Ports are only made in years when the conditions ensure a high level of quality. The Symingtons have chosen not to release vintages in the past, at great cost to their business, so strong is their commitment to quality.

This means that only a small quantity of the wine produced at Vesuvio is bottled as Vintage Port under the Vesuvio name. Of all the wine produced at Vesuvio, only a relatively small proportion is selected for release as Vesuvio Vintage Port. Not unlike the great Château wines of France, Quinta do Vesuvio is offered en premier, as a Single Quinta Vintage Port.