Quinta Do Noval

Quinta do Noval, established in 1715, is one of the only Port houses to be located in the heart of the Douro Valley, instead of Villa Nova de Gaia, where the majority of other producers have their wine aging. It is also one of the only houses that is named after its most famed vineyard, in this case the Quinta do Noval. It is perhaps best known for its Nacional Vintage Ports and its 1963 version is considered by many critics to be the greatest Port ever made.

The majority of the vineyards at the quinta are planted with the noble varieties of the Douro: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cao. These grapes mostly do well on a mix of schist and clay soils, but the presence of the schist rocks around the vines makes it difficult for the vineyard workers come harvest time.

There was a large scale replanting of the vineyards in 1994, and each plot was planted with a variety that best suited that soil, altitude and exposition. Historically, the vineyards had been planted in blended plots; however this practice is dying out in the Douro, as the plantings become more specific to individual terroir. In the heart of the Quinta do Noval vineyard is a small plot of ungrafted vines that were lucky enough to avoid the devastation of phylloxera in the 19th Century. These grapes are the ones used in the Nacional wines.

Alongside the production of fine Ruby and Tawny ports, the house also produces an unfortified style of Douro wine, as well as the newest introduction, the Noval Black, a Port that is made to be drunk young and fresh, without age or decanting.

Since 1993, the managing director has been Chris Seely who is also in charge of a host of vineyards within Europe, as part of the AXA Millesimes group. This investment group also owns estates such as Château Pichon-Longueville, Château Pibran as well as Disznókő in Hungary.