The Society's Exhibition Douro 2020

The Quinta do Vale Meão estate was the ‘last great achievement’ of Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, the legendary Great Lady of the Douro, and the only property which was totally planted by her, on 300 hectares of barren common land purchased at auction from the town council of Vila Nova de Foz Côa in 1877. The project took eight years to complete and Antónia just saw it come to fruition, dying the following year in 1896. Originally the estate supplied grapes that went into perhaps Portugal's most famous red table to date, Barca Velha.

It is now owned by her great-great grandson Francisco Javier de Olazabal. He left the Port and Douro Wine Company A.A. Ferreira in 1998 to develop his own winemaking project with his son, Francisco (Xito) de Olazabal y Nicolau de Almeida, and his sister Luisa now manages sales and marketing of the wines. The century-old winery has subsequently been totally refurbished, adding modern winemaking equipment but retaining the tradition of old granite lagares. 67 hectares of vines are block planted on a variety of soil types, with a particular commitment to the touriga nacional variety. The first wines, of the 1999 vintage, were released in 2001. As well as organic olive oil they make a range of wines from traditional Douro grape varieties, with their reds foot trodden in granite lagares.

Our first Exhibition Douro came from the fine 2011 vintage. In 2013 Meandro branco was made for the first time from grapes bought in.