The soils of the Douro are world famous. The Douro schist soils, in particular, are known for their great ability to retain water and give life to vineyards that would otherwise be too dry to produce fruit. Quinta do Crasto is on the right bank of the Douro between Régua and Pinhão and has four vineyards in the Douro, including some very old vines (over 100 years old).
I interviewed winemaker Manuel Lobos in their Vinha da Ponte vineyard, just a stone’s throw from the winery, where they have 109-year-old vines that have found their home in brown schist soils. The high density vineyard has to be taken care of with painstaking manual labour (employing the use of horses once a year to turn the grass back into the soils) and viticulture is only possible because of the socalcos (stone retaining walls).
In this live video stream from the vineyards, Manuel explains why the Douro schist soils are essential for quality wine production and some of the diversity of soils you find in the Douro’s wine regions.
Wine recommendations from Quinta do Crasto
The view from Quinta do Crasto
Quinta do Crasto Vinha da Ponte 2012
This field blend is only made in special years, and comes from their 109-year-old vineyard (the Douro schist in the video above) with over a dozen native varieties in the blend. I love the style of this wine – it is full bodied but still has bright red berry fruit and floral notes giving it a vibrancy, which is backed by spice, length and complexity from 20 months in oak.
Crasto Red 2015
This is their entry-level red, and it’s a great introduction into a modern style of Douro red. Purple in hue, there’s lots of berry and spice on the nose but the finish is smooth and with well-integrated and polished tannins. I also tried the 2005 vintage, which was holding up surprisingly well considering this is a wine that costs less than $15 USD.
Late Bottle Vintage 2000
It’s not all wine at Quinta do Crasto, and their Port production is actually growing. Quinta do Crasto’s LBV offers great value and an opportunity to drink an unfiltered, rich Port with brooding graphite notes under the plush fruit and spice.
Crasto Superiore White 2016
With creamy notes overriding the fresh floral and white orchard fruit aromas, this is a mouthwatering blend of Viosinho and Verdelho. Full bodied but with bright aromas and a salty freshness on the finish, this is an appetising wine. They source this fruit from their high altitude vineyard – 600m above the river level – where the cooler temperatures help retain a naturally higher acidity.
Wine geeks, check out their special lees-rolling technique:
