QUINTA DAS VERDELHAS

Some of the land of this Quinta reaches the banks of the Douro, where the river bends gently round at São Cibrão. It includes the Verdelhas vineyards, with about 14 hectares of Touriga Nacional, Tinto Roriz and Touriga Franca, and the 42 hectares of olive and almond groves of São Cibrão.

Near the vineyards, in the area of Aldeia Nova, are located the ruins of a Roman villa, which is believed to date from the 3rd or 4th centuries AD. Here there are clearly recognisable remains of a stone winemaking lagar, with two tanks faced with opus signinum, a waterproofing mortar made from powdered ceramic.

Recent archaeological digs indicate that this site was heavily populated, not only in Roman times but right through to the sixth and seventh centuries AD, and so into the medieval era.

Of all the CARM Quintas, this is the one that has the poorest soils. In order to plant the vines on 100% stony slopes, soil had to be brought from other Quintas. The schistous soils are found at a height of 125 metres to 270 metres, mainly facing east, south and west.