The 2013 harvest was tense for winemakers and pickers alike at Quinta do Vesuvio. In just ten days much of the estate’s 133 hectares of vineyards were picked and the grapes were carried into the traditional stone lagares in the winery. This had seemed like a near impossible task on the 17th of September when, just as the vintage was beginning, the long-range weather forecast predicted the arrival of an Atlantic storm system that would cross the Marão Mountains and reach the Upper Douro. It became essential to get the best grapes into the winery before the rains arrived, as it would not have been the first time that the quality of a Douro harvest has been significantly reduced due to bad weather.