This is one of the great wine estates of the Douro, if not the world. Bought and established by that legendary lady of Port, Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, in the early 19th Century, it has been the stage for many pioneering feats of winemaking and viticulture in the Douro. Currently though it is still in family hands, with descendant Francisco Xavier Olazabal (Vito), his winemaker son Francisco and daughter Luísa all devote to the cause. This humorous and relaxed team has, since they started making wine at the quinta in 1999, pushed the boundaries of excellence in Douro reds beyond what was imaginable. Perched on the river’s most dramatic meander, around 70 hectares of vines sweep before your eyes, planted with a host of local varieties. A magnificent granite edifice houses the winery. It is remote and extreme in location but of outstanding beauty and the wines reflect this setting. Quinta do Vale Meão based on Touriga Nacional is huge and intense, surges across the palate with great power yet is has masterful complexity with elegance of fruit and grace of tannins… “Darth Vader in slippers...” Their “second” wine Meandro has all the above elements on a lesser scale, but manages to reveal a character of its own, not just be in the shadows. The raison d’être of this estate eons ago was to make Port, and so they continue to now, producing powerful and classy Vintage Port. These can be enjoyed both when youthful and then later with classic bottle age.