Quinta do Vallado, dry Douro wines and old tawnies
10 bottles, from the Tinto to the 50-year-old TawnyA Douro red for the table, a dry white from Moscatel, a twenty- or forty-year-old tawny to end the meal: this quinta dating from 1716, set on the banks of the Corgo near Peso da Régua, covers the whole spectrum. It still belongs to the descendants of Dona Antónia Ferreira, the great figure of port in the 19th century, and has bottled its own wines since 1993.
The range reads in two stages: the dry wines (Tinto, Prima), then the ports, from the fresh white to the half-century-old tawny, from €16.50 to €250 a bottle.
Quinta do Vallado - Tinto 2023
A red wine from the Douro, synonymous with a perfect balance between tradition and modernity
Quinta do Vallado - Prima Branco 2024
A fresh, aromatic and mineral white wine produced in the heart of the Douro Valley
Quinta do Vallado - Porto Tawny 20 ans
A 20 year old Tawny Port, complex, aromatic and long in the mouth.
Quinta do Vallado - Porto Branco
A white port focused on the freshness and exuberance of the fruit
Quinta do Vallado - Porto Tawny 30 ans
A 30 year old Tawny Port, complex, aromatic and long in the mouth.
Quinta do Vallado - Porto Tawny 50 ans
Half a century in cask for this exceptional tawny, vibrant with candied citrus, honey and a hint of iodine.
Quinta do Vallado - Porto Tawny 40 ans
Forty years in old oak casks for a tawny of rare intensity, between tobacco, fig and toasted dried fruit.
Quinta do Vallado - Porto Tawny Reserva
A tawny Reserva from the Douro, matured for six years in old casks, between wild fruit, dried fruit and spice.
From dry wines to aged tawnies, tier by tier
For the dry wines, fruit and freshness. For the ports, the average age stated on the label tells you the time spent in cask, and each step gains in dried fruit and length.
| Tier | Vintage | Grape varieties and ageing | Price per bottle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry red | Tinto 2023black cherry, violet, pepper | Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Sousão; 8 months, mainly in stainless-steel tank | €16.50 sold individually |
| Dry white | Prima Branco 2024dry, mineral Moscatel | 100% Moscatel Galego, half from vines over 30 years old; stainless-steel tank | €16.50 sold individually |
| Port, for the aperitif | Porto Brancowhite peach, orange blossom | Mainly Moscatel Galego; 3 years in stainless-steel tank | €24 by the bottle, €22 in a set of 2 |
| Barrel-aged port, entry level | Porto Tawny Reservawild berries, spice | Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional; six years in old casks | €27 sold individually |
| Bottle-aged port | Porto Late Bottle Vintage 2019blackberry, dark chocolate, liquorice | Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Sousão, Tinta Roriz; wood and stainless steel, unfiltered | €28 sold individually |
| Aged tawny | Porto Tawny 10 ansamber, dried fruit | Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela, Touriga Franca; small casks and old foudres | €36 sold individually |
| Aged tawny | Porto Tawny 20 answalnut, caramel, long finish | Same grape varieties; an average age of twenty years in cask | €56 sold individually |
| Very old tawny | Porto Tawny 30 anscandied fruit, sweet spices | Same grape varieties; an average age of thirty years in cask | €95 sold individually |
| Very old tawny | Porto Tawny 40 ansalso as a 50-year-old, at €250 for 50 cl | Old interplanted vines; a blend of wines with an average age of forty years | €149.90 the 50 cl bottle, by the bottle |
Port is a fortified wine: grape spirit added during fermentation stops it and keeps part of the grape's sugar.
When to open each wine, and with which dish
The dry wines are best in their first years, the LBV rewards patience, the tawnies are ready as soon as you buy them.
| Wine | Recommended ageing | Serving | Dinner's ready |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tinto | 5 to 10 years | 16 to 17 °C | Roast lamb, kid, grilled meats |
| Prima Branco | 1 to 5 years | 8 to 10 °C | Sushi, prawns, Thai food |
| Porto Branco | Within a year of opening | 6 to 8 °C, on ice or with tonic | Salted almonds, aperitif |
| Tawny Reserva and 10-year-old | Ready to drink | 12 to 14 °C | Walnut tart, crème brûlée |
| LBV 2019 | 10 years and more | 16 to 18 °C, decanted | Chocolate fondant, Stilton |
| Tawny 20 and 30 years | Ready to drink | 12 to 14 °C | Aged Comté, foie gras |
| Tawny 40 and 50 years | Ready to drink | 14 °C, in a small glass | On its own, as a wine for contemplation, or with a coffee |
An opened tawny keeps for several weeks somewhere cool, with the cork put back: ageing in cask has already accustomed it to air. An opened LBV should be drunk within the week.
A bottle of Vallado for every moment
Start with the occasion, and the cuvée will follow.
A Douro red for the week
Partly old vines, aged mainly in tank: a red of black fruit and spice, with round tannins, for grilled meats.
Tinto 2023, €16.50 a bottle, by the bottleA dry, aromatic white
Moscatel Galego vinified dry: the nose of Muscat, a taut and mineral palate. For seafood and spicy cuisines.
Prima Branco 2024, €16.50 a bottle, by the bottleA white port for the aperitif
Three years in stainless-steel tank to keep the fruit: white peach, apricot, orange blossom. On an ice cube or as a port and tonic.
Porto Branco, €24 a bottle by the bottle, €22 in a set of 2A red port for chocolate
A single vintage, bottled unfiltered: blueberry, black cherry, dark chocolate. With a cocoa dessert or a blue cheese.
Porto Late Bottle Vintage 2019, €28 a bottle, by the bottleA twenty-year-old tawny for the festive season
An average age of twenty years in cask: walnut, caramel, orange peel. The step where tawny gains its complexity, to share over dessert.
Porto Tawny 20 ans, €56 a bottle, by the bottleA very old tawny to give
An average age of forty years in old casks: tobacco, fig, toasted dried fruit. A rare gift for a port lover.
Porto Tawny 40 ans, €149.90 for the 50 cl bottle, by the bottleAll our ports
Tawnies, LBVs, vintages and white ports from the houses and quintas of the Douro, to compare styles and ages.
Another Douro estate
Quinta de la Rosa, in Pinhão, further upstream: dry reds and foot-trodden ports, to compare two faces of the valley.
Three centuries of port, thirty years of dry wines
Vallado's archives go back to 1716. In 1818, the property passed to António Bernardo Ferreira, uncle and father-in-law of Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira. For almost two centuries, the quinta produced port sold under the Ferreira house brand, until that house was sold in 1987. In 1993, Guilherme Álvares Ribeiro and Maria Antónia Ferreira launched the estate's wines under its own label. Their descendants, João Ferreira Álvares Ribeiro and Francisco Ferreira, still run it, with Francisco Olazábal in charge of winemaking.
We chose the house for this dual reading. The dry wines focus on fruit and freshness, at everyday prices. The ports draw on old stocks built up when port was the quinta's only business: this is what makes a complete ladder of tawnies possible, from six to fifty years of average age.
The Corgo, gateway to the Douro
Vallado lies in the Baixo Corgo, the westernmost and wettest part of the Douro, where the Corgo meets the river. The vines climb from 80 to 400 m on south- and west-facing schist slopes. The old plots, such as Vinha da Granja (1929) and Vinha da Coroa (1958), mix several grape varieties in the same row.
The Wine Wanderer Team
What we are asked about Quinta do Vallado
Where is Quinta do Vallado?
On the banks of the Corgo, a tributary of the Douro, very close to Peso da Régua, in northern Portugal. The estate has 65 hectares of vines on schist slopes, between 80 and 400 m altitude. The family also runs Quinta do Orgal, in the Douro Superior, farmed organically. See also our Portugal page.
What style of wine is Quinta do Vallado?
Straightforward, fresh Douro wines, and traditional ports. The Tinto focuses on black fruit and round tannins, with ageing mainly in tank. As for the ports, the house is best known for its aged tawnies, matured in small casks and old foudres, from the Reserva to the 50-year-old.
What is the best Quinta do Vallado port?
It all depends on the moment. For a first aged tawny, the 10-year-old, at €36 a bottle. For a gift or a special occasion, the 20-year-old Tawny, at €56, offers the best balance between fruit and complexity. The 30-, 40- and 50-year-olds are for lovers of very old ports, from €95 to €250 a bottle.
What is the difference between a 10, 20, 30 and 40-year-old tawny?
The average age of the blended wines, all aged in cask. A 10-year-old keeps red fruit and notes of dried fruit. At 20 years, walnut and caramel dominate. At 30 and 40 years, the colour turns amber, the wine concentrates through evaporation and takes on notes of tobacco, fig and sweet spices.
What is the difference between a tawny and an LBV?
The way they are aged. A tawny matures for a long time in cask, in contact with air: tawny colour, dried fruit. An LBV (Late Bottled Vintage) comes from a single year and spends a few years in tank or wood before bottling. Vallado's, unfiltered, keeps an intense black fruit and may throw a deposit: decant it.
Is Quinta do Vallado's Prima a sweet wine?
The Prima Branco is a dry white. It is made from Moscatel Galego, the Douro's Muscat à petits grains, fermented to dryness: it keeps the floral, fruity nose of Muscat, with a taut, mineral palate. Serve it at around 8 to 10 °C with prawns or Thai food. See our Muscat page.
How should you drink Quinta do Vallado's white port?
Well chilled, between 6 and 8 °C, on its own over an ice cube or as a port and tonic, topped up with tonic and a slice of orange. Aged three years in stainless-steel tank, it keeps the white peach, apricot and orange blossom of the Moscatel Galego. It goes with salted almonds, olives and small fried bites at aperitif time.
What food goes with a Quinta do Vallado tawny?
Desserts with nuts and dried fruit first: walnut tart, crème brûlée, financiers. A 20- or 30-year-old tawny also goes very well with an aged Comté or foie gras. The 40- and 50-year-olds are best on their own, at the end of a meal. More ideas on our dessert and sweet wine pages.
Are Quinta do Vallado wines sold by the bottle?
Yes, the whole range can be ordered by the bottle, from the Tinto 2023 to the 50-year-old Tawny. The Porto Branco is also available in a set of 2, at €22 a bottle instead of €24. The 40- and 50-year-old Tawnies come in 50 cl bottles, the usual format for very old ports.
Where can I buy Quinta do Vallado wines in France?
On this page, which brings together the estate's dry wines and ports, from €16.50 to €250 a bottle, with delivery in France and across Europe. Each bottle is individually packed. To put together an assortment of tawnies or a gift, write to an adviser via our contact page.