Quinta do Monte Travesso

About Winery and Wines

Quinta do Monte Travesso has been in the Nápoles de Carvalho family for five generations, ever since the founder of “Casa do Douro” (Association of the WineGrowers), the great-great-great-grandfather of the present owners, offered this beautiful estate to his daughter as a wedding gift. It was at that time that the present vineyards were planted and wines were first elaborated, in the same cellars where the Quinta’s wines are still vinified today. Nowadays, there are single-grape varieties per plot and new technologies are being used, namely the possibility of controlling the temperature in the centennial Lagares.

The vineyards are spread across a valley, covering 16 hectares (40 acres) of land. The soil is poor and schistous, in which thrive the noblest red grape varieties like Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Sousão. The white grape varieties are Cerceal, Fernão Pires, Malvasia Fina, Gouveio and Rabigato. In order to preserve the oldest vines, some of the vineyards with small spaces between rows are maintained, where all the work is done manually. In opposition, the new planting with steps and “Vinha ao Alto” (vines planted in vertical rows) has wider spaces between rows that allow its mechanization. In the new vineyards, along with a thorough clonal selection, it has been given special attention to the training of the vine and to the laying out of training wires and posts.