Quinta do Vale Meao Media Kit

Media Kit

About Quinta do Vale Meão

The Olazabal family represents six generations of family winemaking at the Quinta do Vale Meão estate. Located at an idyllic bend of the Douro River with an exceptional terroir, the Quinta do Vale Meão estate has produced some of Portugal's most iconic wines for more than 145 years.

Distinctive Vineyards. Traditional Winemaking. Undisputed Quality.

How to pronounce Quinta do Vale Meão?

Keen-tah Do Val-ay Me-Ow

Our Legacy

The Quinta do Vale Meão estate lies on a sharp bend of the Douro River in the Vila Nova de Foz Côa region of Douro Superior. The 740-acre property was acquired in 1877 by Doña Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, and has been farmed by her descendants ever since.

Doña Antónia fell in love with the beauty of Quinta do Vale Meão (QVM) and was the first of her family to foresee the potential to make great wines. Future generations would uncover an extraordinary secret: An ancient fault line divides the estate into three distinct soil types — schist, gravel and alluvial. Each impart different characteristics; blended together, this singular terroir accounts for the distinctive character that makes QVM wines some of the most coveted in the Douro Valley.

In the 1970s, Doña Antónia’s descendant, Francisco Javier de Olazabal, assumed management of the estate. Son Francisco “Xito” Olazabal was one of the original “Douro Boys,” a new guard of young winemakers who have brought enormous recognition to the Douro Valley and Portuguese table wines in general.

Doña Antónia Adelaide Ferreira

Maria da Assunção & Augusto Pedro de Mendoça Family, with their 12 children

Historic Quinta do Vale Meão

In 1998, Francisco and his children Francisco (known as “Xito”), Luísa and Jaime became the sole owners of the Quinta do Vale Meão estate. The younger Francisco manages all winemaking and production and shares his family’s enthusiasm and vision of excellence in every harvest.

Quinta do Vale Meão wines balance tradition with innovation, infused with a pioneering spirit that has been handed down for generations. Doña Antónia’s legacy is a continuing source of inspiration and has shaped Quinta do Vale Meão as one of Portugal’s premier wine estates.

The current generation of the Olazabal family

Winemaker Francisco “Xito” Olazabal and his father Francisco Javier de Olazabal

OUR ESTATE

The legendary Douro River takes a striking turn in the Vila Nova de Foz Côa sub-region of Douro Superior. Here, you’ll find Quinta do Vale Meão, a stunning property that occupies 740 acres. More than 200 acres of vines descend from the dramatic terraces of Monte Meão alongside organic olive groves and protected woodlands.

Vilariça, a fault line with serendipitous placement for the Olazabal family, bypasses Quinta do Vale Meão to create a natural demarcation between three distinct soil types — schist, gravel and alluvial. The steep slopes of Monte Meão to the west are primarily granite. Precious schist soils cover the lower terraces near the Douro River, with outcrops of alluvial soil and schist characterized by thick, round stones. Finer alluvial sands can be found to the north of the estate.

Taken as a whole, the singular soils of Quinta Vale Meão require meticulous viticultural management. The estate is cultivated and in many parcels to careful specifications that maximize terroir character and support more than 30 heirloom grape varieties.

Gateway to the estate

Grapes are trodden by foot

OUR WINES

MEANDRO DO VALE MEÃO RED QUINTA DO VALE MEÃO RED

VINIFICATION

Named for the huge horseshoe bend of the Douro River around the historic vineyards. After crush, the grapes are trodden by foot for 4 hours in open granite vats then transferred to stainless steel tanks to complete fermentation. Each grape variety is vinified separately. The wine matures in second and third year French Allier oak barriques for 14 months.

TASTING NOTES

Deep concentrated red color. Floral scents with red fruit aromas. Very expressive on the palate with intense fruit notes, great freshness and a long finish.

GRAPE VARIETIES

Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Alicante Bouschet

VINIFICATION

After crush, the grapes are trodden by foot for 4 hours in open granite vats then transferred to stainless steel tanks. Each grape variety is vinified separately. Each grape variety and vineyard lot is vinified separately. The wine matures in 45% new and 55% second year French Allier oak barriques. The final blend is completed just before bottling.

TASTING NOTES

Very concentrated in colour. Deep and complex nose with lots of aromatic nuances in great balance. Vibrant and elegant to taste with a wide range of flavors and well-integrated oak complemented by a long finish.

GRAPE VARIETIES

Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz

Accolades

FOR 20 CONSECUTIVE VINTAGES

“Stellarwine from one of the grandest estates in the Douro”

91-93 pts

“Douro Superior is still a place where time moves slowly. The land carries its sounds and echoes vultures, falcons and songbirds overhead. The stars shine brightly.”

- Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast