Quinta do Infantado

The Legendary Quinta do Infantado

Quinta Do Infantado Producer Profile

Quick Facts

Name of Estate	Quinta do Infantado
Region	Douro
Country	Portugal
Proprietor	João Roseira
Size	46 hectares
Farming	Sustainable/Organic
Soils	Schist
Grapes grown	Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Gouveio, Rabigato, Viosinho, Moscatel Galego, many more...
Fun facts	João Roseira is the king of Portuguese wine. Riding around with him makes you feel like a local celebrity.

João Roseira is the king of Portuguese wine. Riding around with him makes you feel like a local celebrity.

Name of Estate	Quinta do Infantado
Region	Douro
Country	Portugal
Proprietor	João Roseira
Size	46 hectares
Farming	Sustainable/Organic
Soils	Schist
Grapes grown	Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Gouveio, Rabigato, Viosinho, Moscatel Galego, many more...
Fun facts	João Roseira is the king of Portuguese wine. Riding around with him makes you feel like a local celebrity.

Get to know
Quinta do Infantado

producer profile 27.11.2019

Quinta Do Infantado Producer Profile

Quinta do Infantado has been a leader in <glossary title="427">estate</glossary>-<glossary title="185">bottled</glossary> <glossary title="817">Ports</glossary> since 1979. Until that time, all exported <glossary title="817">Ports</glossary> had to be shipped in bulk to <glossary title="1090">Vila Nova de Gaia</glossary>, 60 miles west of the <glossary title="404">Douro Valley</glossary>, where they were <glossary title="185">bottled</glossary> and shipped. This practice effectively prevented small private producers from exporting their wines, since the cost of running an operation in another town was prohibitive for these vineyard owners. In 1986 the laws were changed. The Quinta is based in <glossary title="800">Pinhão</glossary>, specifically in the subdistrict of Gontelho where the best <glossary title="817">Port</glossary> vineyards may be found. The <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> has been owned by the Roseira family since the end of the 19th century and is now managed by brother and sister, João Roseira, vineyard manager/winemaker, and Catherine Roseira, Chief Executive. The vineyards (<glossary title="1022">terraced</glossary>, very steep and hard-soiled) are worked in traditional methods. Finally, the <glossary title="1237">Vintage Ports</glossary> of Quinta do Infantado are singularly distinctive in their "meio-seco" (medium-<glossary title="405">dry</glossary>) style. The Roseira family is very careful when declaring a <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> year and will not do so if there is the least doubt about the <glossary title="324">concentration</glossary> and quality of the <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary>. We have been truly enthusiastic about these wines since the day one of our winemakers in the <glossary title="856">Rhône</glossary> insisted we taste a terrific <glossary title="817">Port</glossary> he had brought back from a recent trip to the <glossary title="404">Douro</glossary> valley. We are infinitely grateful for his good opinion and taste.

producer visit 21.08.2019

This visit to Quinta do Infantado took place in September, 2017

This visit to Quinta do Infantado took place in September, 2017.  Words by Jules Dressner. Photos by Jules Dressner and Gustavo Roseira. Considering how long we've been working with Quinta do Infantado, it's incredible it took me almost a decade of full time Louis/Dressner-ing to visit them. João Roseira is a fixture in our lives (we see him at least twice a year), yet neither my parents nor Kevin had been to the <glossary title="404">Douro</glossary> in over a decade. Fortunately, the <glossary title="427">estate's</glossary> 200 year anniversary gave us a chance to visit! We got our start in beautiful Lisbon!  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//57/c4/57c4a5f4ee4e1fd54d1b56b31e903c3f.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//4a/55/4a55b18f6d19e25b35c673f2aae499ac.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//41/47/4147d79d1ff75324d0109e28543aaa4e.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//ba/52/ba52b123a6cc212c940a4b0371eada06.jpg" /> Our sales expert Jose, a Lisbon native, was very excited! <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//0b/64/0b64bf06d2e54d9c5db309313ccdd511.jpg" /> Upon arriving to our hotel, I took great joy in our street-level rooms facing outside with two-way mirrors.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//c3/01/c301aca61732ef65e8bc2eb830fb43a6.jpg" /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/A09ETz0-OBU" width="640"></iframe> If this weren't enough for hours of entertainment, right as I was about to leave this couple decided to pose for a selfie. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//a0/a4/a0a4d33b583b613b279fdbc090fba28e.jpg" /> They were there for a REALLY LONG TIME. It took every ounce of self control to not scare the living bejesus out of them with some kind of two-way mirror jump scare. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/I5bd29uys0o" width="640"></iframe> I mean, they were there A LONG TIME. So long I was actually able to take this video (DISCLAIMER: painfully awkward, equally hilarious.) <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xSf5FISV92I" width="640"></iframe> After this satisfying bit of voyeurism, we drank tiny beers and checked out the local sardine offerings.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//4c/42/4c42338a70d3982ce77a6b795bb7b6d1.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//fd/66/fd66b61cb833ff2370fa47e9aa852023.jpg" /> We also had some snacks and drinks at the excellent Café Tati. Highly recommended! Eventually, Joāo met up with us and we headed to Mini Bar for dinner. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//4e/eb/4eeb3f53146d0e43c98369a403057eaa.jpg" /> Despite its misleading name, Mini Bar is actually a great tasting menu restaurant within the halls of Lisbon's gorgeous Teatro São Luiz. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//57/1d/571d8dea4685c18668c3f21d2ba27aa5.jpg" /> We then went BACK to Café Tati, though it was tempting to go to Viking Discoteca and Pink WinePoint instead.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//68/2a/682a4ff261c78273e698591a9075293e.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//4f/f6/4ff6f4fdfd82d4159af124f996edf1e2.jpg" /> The following morning, João moonlighted as our official Louis/Dressner chauffeur and tour guide at the airport. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//e9/4f/e94fbecf660dee991b0e2145ac5148e9.jpg" /> This was because we were picking up customers from Chicago, Wisconsin, Colorado and Boston but had no idea what anyone looked like. Once the jet-lagged crew was assembled, it was time to visit Quinta do Infantado! The Roseira family live in <glossary title="800">Pinhão</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//96/94/9694012923977dddfff400219dc364d9.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//9c/eb/9ceb713af4fa2a2910668f7d166b604b.jpg" /> This is the view from their house.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//e9/1d/e91d524181ed210414274849a404eb39.jpg" /> Infantado used to have an active olive oil mill right under these vines. It was quite intensive, requiring four months of full time work each year. When the <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> started <glossary title="185">bottling</glossary> independently in 1979 (the first <glossary title="817">Port</glossary> producer to so!), they halted oil production.  Before jumping into the vines, João broke down his <glossary title="1026">terroirs</glossary>: "Quinta do Infantado is more like <glossary title="212">Burgundy</glossary> than <glossary title="178">Bordeaux</glossary> geographically. Our vines are all over the place, but all within 2.5 kilometers of the quinta." What he means is that most big <glossary title="817">Port</glossary> houses have all of their vineyards by their winery, aka Quintas, in a similar fashion to the <glossary title="178">Bordeaux</glossary> <glossary title="292">château</glossary> model. Instead, Quinta do Infantado has many <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> spread across very different sites. But as we will see, <glossary title="817">Port</glossary> is not about site-specific wines and very much about <glossary title="1146">blending</glossary>. The vineyard across the house makes the “green label” <glossary title="746">organic</glossary> line and represents six <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary>. The green label wines are from richer soils, so the wines are fresher. In this particular site, Infantado had to build the <glossary term="Schist" title="933">schist</glossary> <glossary term="Terrace" title="1022">terraces</glossary> themselves, then plant in 1998.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//da/74/da748e19418bbb3348b1c12f182c831d.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//2b/8f/2b8f453d664ca4e12334c1af496b0a35.jpg" /> When you talk <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary> and the area’s landscape: “The <glossary title="404">Douro</glossary> IS <glossary title="933">schist</glossary>”. “<glossary title="933">Schist</glossary> is great for <glossary title="324">concentration</glossary> but the hot nights means less <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary>.”  Up until the 1980’s, it was traditional to <glossary title="500">graft</glossary> all the vines in place and <glossary title="309">co-plant</glossary> with a dizzying array of varieties.  “You could have 200 different grapes in the same row. With no exposure to the outside world, this technique remained localized and unique.” White grapes were commonly <glossary title="309">co-planted</glossary> to make the wines fresher.  From <glossary title="800">Pinhão</glossary>, we all hopped into the João-Mobile™ and set off to another vineyard. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//b2/a9/b2a9a161b641cc3b0dd12eebe9db358a.jpg" /> Jose was once again very excited. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//fa/b2/fab2c7f2d2517d50d27100560fb7957f.jpg" /> The second vineyard we visited, Vale de Mourhos, was planted by João’s grandmother in the 1950’s and his father in 1974, 10 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> in all.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//04/8d/048d82ae73314a7085e9a78fc0c24cb8.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//d9/52/d9528898edf102b1ccc6aa373a50dd10.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//51/42/51421f61c1487ac5e530aa9127eb949c.jpg" /> Most of the grapes grown here are used in the <glossary title="1236">Ruby</glossary> and <glossary title="1237">Vintage Port</glossary> (mostly the old, 80+ year old vines), the rest going into "Douro Tinto" and <glossary title="1238">White Port</glossary>. One neat thing I noticed were the black <glossary title="933">schist</glossary> pillars used as stakes to hold vines in place.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//a4/59/a459cca1860bc1634bdee41d1b596a28.jpg" /> “They are heavy. They break. But they are beautiful and unique to here.” Harking back to our earlier conversation about the myriad of different grapes planted in the <glossary title="404">Douro</glossary>, <glossary title="1239">Touriga Francesca</glossary> came up. It only has 100 years of history in the region, but is most planted grape in the <glossary title="404">Douro</glossary> now. For a long time <glossary title="1229">Touriga Nacional</glossary> was number one, but with changing weather patterns it fell out of favor.  From Vale de Mourhos, we set off to a third site, Castel.  Jose's enthusiasm persevered.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//cb/fc/cbfc8ec9df00e7d9f3dfab6a5b51a38a.jpg" /> Castel was by far the most stunning, dramatic view.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//00/ce/00ce44ff0f2f5517927d7882016e107e.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//24/01/240180735bc8a1e35cc00a6acde4eb39.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//8a/d1/8ad1df7c7cc6f94cead23fb0de644738.jpg" /> This whole area was planted by João’s grandfather in 1912, and consists of four distinct <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary>.  “Everything is done by hand. It’s a ton of work and I’m not sure people understand that.” The dry <glossary title="933">schist</glossary> walls and staircases were built by João’s grandfather when he planted the vines! <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//d9/56/d956870b102cd31766ee3f941fc69314.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//fb/57/fb57bfddcb408e4f99151876cbc96668.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//06/f9/06f9b2ecedecaa425dba2f649fd3bf6c.jpg" /> After a beautiful tour of the vineyards, it was time to scope out the winery.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//9b/90/9b90e3ef0a6182c28f3396ad68c9a6f7.jpg" /> The wines all <glossary title="441">ferment</glossary> in open  <glossary title="575">agar</glossary>, then are <glossary title="843">racked</glossary> to <glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary> and <glossary title="74">aged</glossary> in <glossary title="142">barrel</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//db/d4/dbd47bbcf236467a6b0d64a891fd0a8c.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//33/2e/332e524e32e44f1e93ec6a5f97fbb1bb.jpg" /> Infantado stuck with traditional <glossary title="458">foot-trodding</glossary> of the grapes until 2010, when they incorporated this state of the art machine that emulates the process.  <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/IDK7Pz0Z-b0" width="640"></iframe> It was co-designed by Joāo and, while others have adopted it since, Infantado was the first to use it. Though he admits missing the long days of <glossary title="458">foot trodding</glossary> with music and friends:  “Now we can focus our energy and man-power in the vines, which is the most important work.” Once the <glossary title="610">maceration</glossary> is complete, the wines are <glossary title="843">racked</glossary> to large <glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary> <glossary title="1160">vessels</glossary> by <glossary title="1165">gravity</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//24/86/24868c8aa90e18d5076436116813f6c3.jpg" /> The next, crucial steps occur in the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//a0/72/a0726510c3496cb72a0712e3d4c8c4f8.png" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//b4/8d/b48dc361defb1beaf6f6e2239ce6e23a.png" /> At this point, <glossary title="411">brandy</glossary> is added to the still <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary> grape juice.  The big <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> are a whopping 1300 liters and reserved for the <glossary title="1236">Ruby</glossary>, the non-<glossary title="754">oxidative</glossary> style to drink bright and young. These are over 100 years old and built by João's grandfather. An <glossary title="1241">LBV</glossary> at Infantado consists of the best <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> of Ruby with a few years of <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> on them. The <glossary title="1016">Tawny</glossary> is aged in 550 liter <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary>. Since there is much less <glossary title="1126">wood</glossary>, the <glossary title="1160">vessel</glossary> is more porous, permitting an <glossary title="754">oxidative</glossary> style. An Infantado <glossary title="1016">Tawny</glossary> is <glossary title="74">aged</glossary> at least five years before release. A small amount of <glossary title="1243">Colheita</glossary> is selected from these and <glossary title="843">racked</glossary> into even smaller <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> for further <glossary title="74">aging</glossary>.  We of course tasted many delicious wines. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//e5/66/e566337972fffdc3e8a371969edaaa1f.jpg" /> We also got to visit the Museu do <glossary title="404">Douro</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//07/37/073769babbc7ad75312c7519d3b37a90.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//c1/04/c104e22f67aa69b9fb9bec3f3c46d333.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//68/02/6802634ba46d26d42803ecd0a32186c3.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//40/bb/40bb48cf3e64dd65b8c0c16baefa14f3.jpg" /> You know what's impressive? When the winery you're visiting has its own museum display. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//ea/2c/ea2cb45d15fdf737a010c196cc9ceef7.jpg" /> On our last day, we cruised around the picturesque city of <glossary title="744">Porto</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//f4/a4/f4a4fc0ced6b19e9a09d5dfdadf2abea.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//c6/00/c6002f67b297da951e7e220c972157a9.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//f4/b7/f4b70cadb5e13c314ede965e96085e8d.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//c3/e4/c3e49d3a8d0d6e80128b19ff60634cf1.jpg" /> Adding to the fun, we kept finding these Cristiano Ronaldo masks everywhere: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//e7/b3/e7b3444e13b57996b9fdf9e79cc5a7c4.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//90/22/902293db6eedb3f805bd1662d9abda3d.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//b6/a5/b6a5dbec5e889705d2bb5c5cdf6def70.jpg" /> The night ended with late night-dancing to rare vinyl grooves, including this cover of Tainted Love: <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8k74ygnESEg" width="640"></iframe> No one wanted to go leave, but <glossary title="744">Porto's</glossary> streets set us straight: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_21//51/16/51164a0401be6ad1f98b9a02eecf47e4.jpg" />

article 20.07.2020

Quinta do Infantado: The Terroir From A to E

There is much to be said about honesty, for real wine and real winemaking. <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Porto</glossary> is a landmine. Here's why. <glossary term="Estate Bottled" title="428">Estate-Bottled</glossary> <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Porto</glossary> remains a marginal part of the production. Shippers account for 95% of all <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Porto</glossary> sales. Infantado was the first <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary> to independantly <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottle</glossary> in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary>, breaking the monopoly of the shippers in the late 70's. The Terroir - A to E: Why is this important? All vineyards (120, 000 acres) in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> are classified by site location, from A (best) to F (worst). Class A and B grapes are mostly used for <glossary term="Vintage Port" title="1237">vintage Porto</glossary>, then <glossary term="LBV Port" title="1241">LBV</glossary> and aged <glossary term="Tawny" title="1016">Tawnies</glossary> (10 through 40 years old). Quinta do Infantado owns only Class A vineyards. Nothing else. Everything from their basic <glossary term="Ruby Port" title="1236">Ruby</glossary> through their <glossary term="Vintage Port" title="1237">Vintage</glossary> comes from Class A sites! The large shippers who dominate the market use E and F sites for their <glossary term="Ruby Port" title="1236">Rubies</glossary> and every so often there is a scandal when a shipper is caught using cheaper grapes outside the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary>. Why not use A site like Infantado? The B through E grapes are cheaper for shippers to buy than A grapes. A <glossary term="Burgundy" title="212">Burgundy</glossary> <glossary term="Négociant" title="729">négociant</glossary> pays more to buy Richebourg than they do for <glossary term="Bourgogne Blanc/Rouge" title="1183">Bourgogne Rouge</glossary>. The grapes from lower classifications come from more fertile and humid <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> vineyards, where <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary> are considerably higher. Ever wonder why there are so many cheap and horrible <glossary term="Ruby Port" title="1236">Rubies</glossary> in the market? Infantado has no choice. Since it makes only <glossary term="Estate Bottled" title="428">estate-bottled</glossary> wines, they can only <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottle</glossary> them from their Class A vineyards. Not only are these vineyards great <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroir</glossary>, Infantado also has an original mix of grape varieties. Although there are more than 70 red grapes in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary>, Infantado grows about 15, all among the noblest of the area. The most important for Infantado are <glossary term="Tempranillo" title="1266">Tinta Roriz</glossary>, <glossary term="Touriga Francesa" title="1239">Touriga Franca</glossary>, <glossary term="Touriga Nacional" title="1229">Touriga Nacional</glossary> and <glossary term="Tinta Barroca" title="1403">Tinta Barroca</glossary>. Remember, not all 70 grapes are great! Guess who's using the big berried, high <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yielding</glossary> of little character grapes grown in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary>? Making the Porto: Quinta do Infantado <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Portos</glossary> are <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermented</glossary> in <glossary term="Lagar" title="575">lagar</glossary> and <glossary term="Foot-Treading" title="458">foot-treaded</glossary>. This is the traditional, labor intensive way of making <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Porto</glossary>. After years of of ultra-premium-high-tech-state-of-the-art-stainless-steel-fermentation-tanks most of the shippers came back to <glossary term="Lagar" title="575">lagares</glossary> for their best grapes. But Infantado's been doing this since 1816 and does this for everything from <glossary term="Ruby Port" title="1236">Ruby</glossary> to <glossary term="Vintage Port" title="1237">Vintage</glossary>. Infantado wines <glossary term="Spontaneous Fermentation" title="976">ferment naturally</glossary> with no <glossary term="Inoculation" title="542">yeasts added</glossary>. Normally an Infantado <glossary term="Lagar" title="575">lagar</glossary> takes 3-4 days to <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">ferment</glossary>. But in the rest of the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary>, 80% of the grapes <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">ferment</glossary> in less than 24 hours. How do they do it? Grapes are transported to the shopper's wineries in enormous metal containers holding over 3000 pounds, that are loaded throughout the working day. Typically, a truck will carry 2-4 containers, and will hit the road only after the end of the working <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> day. It is hot in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary> and the grapes arrive <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermenting</glossary> at 95 degrees. At Infantado, everything is loaded into 44lb boxes, all <glossary term="Hand Harvesting" title="520">picked by hand</glossary>. This means grapes arrive at the winery as if they were still hanging on the vine. This takes time and costs money, but makes an enormous difference in the final quality of the wine. Again, from <glossary term="Ruby Port" title="1236">Ruby</glossary> to <glossary term="Vintage Port" title="1237">Vintage</glossary>, Infantado takes the same care. Although shippers account for more that 95% of the <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Porto</glossary> sales, they only make 45% of the total. Most of their wines come from a series of <glossary term="Cave Cooperative" title="252">cooperatives</glossary> who are "wannabe" wine <glossary term="Industrial Wine" title="540">industrialists</glossary>. <glossary term="Cave Cooperative" title="252">Co-ops</glossary>, for the most part, remain outdated facilities, are badly designed, badly run and working for quantity and not quality. They sell only about 3% of the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro</glossary>'s production but <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">ferment</glossary> 50%. Hmm, who do you think is buying <glossary term="Cave Cooperative" title="252">co-ops</glossary> bulk <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Portos</glossary>, <glossary term="Blending" title="1146">blending</glossary> them and selling them, maybe even labeled as "coming from our best vineyards in the <glossary term="Douro" title="404">Douro Valley</glossary>"? Growers like Infantado do not have the right to buy wines. Infantado has always been known for its' semi-dry <glossary term="Porto" title="744">port</glossary> style. That is, they let the grapes <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">ferment</glossary> longer and add less alcohol. But this is something they can do only because they own such great Class A sites. Class A grapes are picked at 13-14% (or more) <glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">potential alcohol</glossary>. Lower Class, (B through E), have higher <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yielding</glossary> grapes and are very often picked at 11%. To compensate for the lower level of <glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturation</glossary>, it is permitted to add larger amounts of <glossary term="Brandy" title="1366">wine brandy</glossary> to the juice from lower classifications. This procedure is strictly controlled by the Oporto Port Institute, which allows more added <glossary term="Brandy" title="1366">brandy</glossary> for wines from lesser sites. Ever wonder why so many <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Portos</glossary> taste like syrup or cough medicine? Infantado works with ripe grapes and makes <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Portos</glossary> half-dry, reducing the use of <glossary term="Brandy" title="1366">wine brandy</glossary> by as much as 30%. This means more finesse, more pleasure, more wine!

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Quinta Do Infantado Producer Profile

producer visit 21.08.2019

This visit to Quinta do Infantado took place in September, 2017

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Quinta do Infantado: The Terroir From A to E