Quinta Do Crasto

Quinta do Crasto is located on the right bank of the river Douro, halfway between Régua and Pinhão. Sitting on a privileged location in the Douro Demarcated Region, Quinta do Crasto has been in the family of Leonor and Jorge Roquette for over a century. Like other great Douro quintas, its origins lie in ancient times (the name CRASTO comes from the Latin word castrum, a Roman fort). References to Quinta do Crasto date as far back as the early seventeenth century, long before the Douro became the world’s first demarcated wine region in 1756.

Large investments were made over the last years to restructure the vineyards and install modern winery equipment, guaranteeing the production of high quality table wines, and single vineyard wines as well as top port wine categories such as Late Bottled Vintage and Vintage Port. While using state-of-the-art vinification technology, the quinta has always retained its traditional foot treading method in granite tanks, called “lagares”. All the investments made in the past combined with the tradition and passion that is put into the wine making, has given Quinta do Crasto a prominent name in wine market scene, at home and abroad.

History

The first known references to Quinta do Crasto date back to 1615, and at the time of the Marquês de Pombal the quinta was included in the first “Feitoria” (which restricted port production to an area demarcated by granite markets), alongside the most important quintas in the Douro region. One of these markers called “marco pombalino” dated from 1758, can still be seen at the Quinta.

In the early 1900s, Quinta do Crasto was purchased by Constantino de Almeida, the founder of the famous Constantino Port house. After his death in 1923, his son Fernando de Almeida continued to run the Quinta and to produce the highest quality Port wines (1927 Vintage is still in the cellar). In 1981, Leonor Roquette (daughter of Fernando de Almeida) and her husband Jorge Roquette assumed a majority stake and management control over the estate, and with the help of their sons, Miguel and Tomás, initiated the process of remodelling and expanding the vineyards, and the project of producing top table wines for which Quinta do Crasto has won a world-wide reputation.

The Vineyards

The quinta covers 130 hectares, of which 70 are planted with grade “A” vineyards. Every year during the harvest (September-October) the grapes are hand-picked from selected plots, carried in food-safe plastic crates and carefully sorted before going into the winery. One part goes to the old stone “lagares”, where the grapes are foot-trodden in the old traditional way. Another part goes to the two wineries for temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks.

The estate has recently acquired the Quinta da Cabreira, a 120-hectare estate located in the Upper Douro Valley, of which 80 hectares will soon be planted with new vines, mainly of traditional Douro grape varieties such as Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Franca, among others.

Production from Quinta da Cabreira will complement Quinta do Crasto’s own production, also allowing optimisation of the production capacity of the company’s existing wineries. There are also plans to launch a premium wine under the Quinta da Cabreira name that will add on to Quinta do Crasto brands.

QUINTA DO CRASTO - Doura Red 2007

ABV: 13.5%
Grape Variety: Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional.
Colour: Vibrant and fresh with purple hues.
Aroma: Intense aromas of fruits of the forest of blackberries and raspberries.
Palate: A medium bodied palate which is rich in wild berry characters. The wine finishes with great length, balance and texture.
Vinification: Grapes are hand picked into 25 kg plastic crates and undergo careful selection prior to destemming. Fermentation is carried out in specially designed temperature controlled fermentation tanks for 5 to 7 days. Varieties are co-fermented which improves the integration of the different varieties used in this blend.
Food Matching: Ideal with lamb and roasted red meat dishes.

On Special Offer - Was £9.59 - Now £8.64

QUINTA DO CRASTO - Doura Reserva (Old Vines) 2006

ABV: 14.5%
Grape Variety: Old Vines - mixed plantings (among 25 to 30 different grape varieties).
Colour: Brick Red.
Aroma: Intense and lifted oak aromas of cigar box, tobacco leaf, spices, cedar and vanilla combine with fresh dark berries and ripe blood plums.
Palate: A rich full and round palate of great balance. Displaying rich Douro berry fruit characters with integrated oak tannins with a great length of finish.
Vinification: Grapes are hand picked and transported to the winery in small plastic crates. Before destemming they are put on a conveyor belt in order to carefully select the best quality fruit for the fermentation. The fermentation is carried out in open plunging tanks along with a number of specially designed fermentation vessels which enhance the mouth feel of the wine. Near completion of primary fermentation the skins are pressed with a basket press in order to extract soft tannins from the skins with all pressing combined with the free run.
Food Matching: Ideal with hearty stews and roasted joints. Also excellent with game.

On Special Offer - Was £18.59 - Now £16.15

QUINTA DO CRASTO - Late Bottled Vintage 2004

ABV: 19%
Grape Variety: Old Vines - mixed plantings (among 25 to 30 different grape varieties).
Colour: Black.
Aroma: Excellent deepness, flavours of fresh wild berries and dry nuts.
Palate: Elegant attack, with great volume and compact structure. Round tannins with great deepness. Finishes very intense, with great elegance and persistence.
Vinification: Grapes are hand picked in small plastic craters. 100 % foot trodden in traditional stone ”lagares”. Natural yeast. Basket press. Fortified brandy is added to the must at 8º Baumé to stop the fermentation. Wine is bottled without any fining or filtration after two years in wood.
Food Matching: Ideal at the end of a meal, particularly with strong cheeses (traditionally Stilton).

On Special Offer - Was £14.49 - Now £12.71

QUINTA DO CRASTO - Vintage Port 2003

ABV: 19.5%
Grape Variety: Old Vines - mixed plantings (among 25 to 30 different grape varieties).
Colour: Very dark, Black.
Aroma: Intense aromas of fruits of the forest of blackberries and raspberries.
Palate: Elegant attack, but also very compact bodied style. Great volume, concentration and excellent intensity of fine grained tannins. Rich fruits, black cherries, plums and wild Douro berries. The wine shows great length and structure, which means that has the right condiments for a correct ageing.
Vinification: This Vintage Port was produced from grapes of the oldest vines from the Quinta with an average age from between 40 and 60 years old. After a light crushing by a soft stainless steel crusher, the grapes were foot trodden in the old lagares for an average of two days at a temperature of around 20º Celsius with 50% stems. The fermentation started with natural wild yeast and lasted 48 hours with temperatures rising to 28º Celsius. When the sugar level reached 8.5º Baumé the brandy was added to stop the fermentation.
Food Matching: Ideal at the end of a meal, particularly with strong cheeses (traditionally Stilton) or nuts.

On Special Offer - Was £30.99 - Now £26.71