Redoma & Batuta – A Niepoort Vertical

During a visit to his cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia in 1993, Dirk Niepoort asked me to taste a red wine from barrel. I was not aware that he made any table wines. That was the first Redoma. It took me another twenty-two years to taste my first Batuta – the 2005 during a…

Portugal Revisited – 10. Lunch At Quinta do Crasto

The pretty hilltop property sits on the right bank of the Douro mid-way between Regua and Pinhao, with a commanding and unobstructed view of the river. It goes back a long way. The Romans had a fort here and the estate has been in the family of Leonor and Jorge Roquette for over a century.…

Portugal Revisited – 9. A Few Days At Quinta Nova

The drive from Melgaço took three hours. The A4 to Villa Real is a splendid road and from Vale de Nogueiras the narrow country road twisted and turned its way over the mountains to Quinta Nova at Covas do Douro. The scenery was breathtaking. “Quinta Nova” Pedro said pointing at an elegant white villa with red tiles on…

Footloose In The Douro – 10. Dinner At The DOC

Having had lunch with Dirk Niepoort and an afternoon tasting at Quinta do Bomfim, we went to dine that evening at the DOC Rui Paula’s DOC at Folgosa, just twenty minutes along the river from Pinhao, is probably the most celebrated restaurant in the Douro. Conde Nast Traveller says: “Supersleek and stylish, D.O.C. is part…

Footloose In The Douro – 9. Quinta do Bomfim

We went to Bomfim after lunch with Dirk Niepoort. The road runs along the Douro back to Pinhao. You cross the river and turn right just after Vintage House Hotel and the entrance to Bomfim is right in front of you. It is only 200 yards from the railway station. One of the Douro Valley’s…

Footloose In The Douro – 8. Lunch With Dirk Niepoort

Quinta de Nápoles – Dirk Niepoort’s new winery on Rio Tedo outside Pinhao produces his magnificent unfortified Douro wines. We went to Nápoles to taste them with Dirk over lunch As we came off the N222 at the mouth of the Tedo River, we could see the massive, dark concrete mass of the winery on…

Footloose In The Douro – 7. Days At Bom Retiro

Quinta do Bom Retiro on the Toro River, lies in the heart of a sumptuous garden built many decades ago. It has a swimming pool which is one of the oldest in the Douro, and fruit and exotic trees brought from different corners of the world. Today, the 110 ha estate owned by Ramos Pintos,…

Footloose In The Douro – 3. The Palaeolithic Engravers Of Penascosa

We had just finished dinner at Quinta do Ervamoira. The archaeologists arrived in two jeeps and sat down to drink a glass of wine with us. We chatted for a while, got into our jeeps and drove towards the Coa River. It was already dark. A decades long dream of mine was about to come…

Footloose In The Douro – 2. Dinner At Quinta do Ervamoira

We were in Marialva in north-eastern Portugal that Tuesday, having arrived from Harrogate in the early afternoon. That evening we had dinner at Quinta do Ervamoira. In 1974, José António Ramos Pinto Rosas, the then Chairman of Casa Ramos Pinto, was looking for an estate on fairly flat land that would allow for mechanisation. He…