Crasto
Located in Sabrosa on the right bank of the Douro River in Gouvinhas, Quinta do Crasto has one of the most impressive locations in northern Portugal. The estate has been owned by the family of Leonor and Jorge Roquette for over a century, and the next generation, Miguel and Tomás Roquette, is now actively involved in its management.
Crasto produces dry Douro wines, Port, and olive oil, with an annual output of approximately 1.5 million bottles. It is a member of the Douro Boys, alongside Niepoort, Quinta do Vale Meão, and Quinta do Vallado, a loose coalition of Douro producers who have brought the region's dry red wines to the international stage.
The winery is also one of the best-known wine tourism destinations in Portugal and has been included in the Top 20 of the World's Best Vineyards for six consecutive years.
Four centuries on one hill
Crasto is derived from the Latin castrum and refers to the Roman fortress. Written records mentioning Quinta do Crasto and the wine produced here date back to 1615; this vineyard subsequently attained the status of Feitoria, the highest classification at the time, along with other major vineyards in the Douro Valley region.
Subsequently, the boundaries were demarcated. Between 1758 and 1761, Marquis of Pombal installed 335 granite boundary markers to demarcate the world's first wine-growing region, with each pillar measuring 2 meters in height and 30 × 20 centimeters in size. One of these boundary markers, made in 1758, still stands in Quinta do Crasto near an old farmhouse.
These Marcos Pombalinos boundary markers were cataloged in the 1940s and declared property of national interest. Few wineries can have that a page in the history of wine is written right here on their own vineyard.
In the early 20th century, this property was purchased by Constantino de Almeida, who founded the Constantino House to produce and export Port wine and brandy. It is currently operated under the name Quinta do Crasto, S.A., with its headquarters located in Gouvinhas.
Right bank, steep ground
Quinta do Crasto is located in the heart of Douro Demarcated Region, the world's first demarcated and regulated wine region, and has held UNESCO World Heritage classification since 2001. Here, geographical conditions play the most significant role. The vines grow in terraced plots along the slopes above the river, and the range of elevations lets growers take advantage of a wide variety of ripening conditions within a single vineyard.
The two plots each have their own unique names and labels: Vinha Maria Teresa and Vinha da Ponte. Maria Teresa is a field blend, a method in which different grape varieties are grown together in the same plot, harvested, and fermented together, following the traditional Douro vineyard cultivation method.
Olive trees grow alongside the grapevines. Olive oil is one of the main products produced annually on this farm; it is not merely a secondary item sold in the gift shop.
What goes into the bottle
Crasto primarily focuses on classic Douro red varieties, though it also includes a few exceptional varieties. The main varieties are as follows:
- Touriga Nacional: This variety is also used to produce single-varietal wines.
- Tinta Roriz
- Touriga Franca
- Syrah: Planted later and bottled under the regional designation Duriense
- A mixed, old vineyard in a historic plot: Here, no one counts the varieties one by one
To give an idea of the blend composition of this winery's Douro red wine, the 2016 vintage consisted of 35% Touriga Nacional, 30% Tinta Roriz, 25% Touriga Franca, with the remainder from other varieties. While these proportions vary from year to year, the prominence of Touriga Nacional is a good indicator of this winery's style.
Almost a new wine every year
The wine cellar at Quinta do Crasto has been exceptionally busy of late. In recent years, this winery has released roughly one new wine each year, a considerable volume for a family-run winery of this size.
In 2014, Crasto Superior Branco was released, a white Douro DOC, the first wine in Portugal to use bâtonnage, stirring the fine lees to enhance texture, without oxygen incorporation. In 2015, Crasto Superior Syrah was released; this is a regional Duriense wine aimed at new international markets. In 2016, Colheita Port, a tawny wine aged in oak barrels using grapes from a single vintage, was released.
Annual production of Douro and Port wines totals approximately 1.5 million bottles. Of this, about 60% remains in Portugal, while the rest is exported to 54 markets on all continents.
The range, from field blend to old tawny
At the very top of the dry mountain region are the single-vineyard red wines Maria Teresa Crasto and Vinha da Ponte; these two wines are not blends of the entire vineyard's harvest but are produced from designated plots, respectively. These wines serve as the benchmark against which Crasto is evaluated and are constantly sought out by critics such as Decanter's Portugal panel.
Next comes Honore Very Special Blend, and the Port series includes Honore 400 Very Old Tawny Port. Very Old Tawny refers to Port that has been aged in oak barrels for a long time before bottling; as a result, it is a wine with a amber hue and nutty aromas rather than dark, astringent flavors.
In addition, this winery produces straight Douro red wine under the Crasto label, single-varietal Touriga Nacional, white wines and Crasto Superior wines (including Syrah), as well as a variety of Port wines. Most are Douro, though the label also indicates Duriense.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly is Quinta do Crasto?
At Gouvinhas, in the municipality of Sabrosa, on the right bank of the Douro in northern Portugal. The company also keeps facilities in Sabrosa itself and an office in Porto.
Is Quinta do Crasto part of the Douro Boys?
Yes. It belongs to the group alongside Niepoort Wines, Quinta do Vale Meão and Quinta do Vallado, and Miguel and Tomás Roquette represent the estate's younger generation within it.
Does the estate make Port as well as dry wine?
Both. Quinta do Crasto produces Douro table wines and Port, including a Colheita Port launched in 2016, plus olive oil.
Can you visit?
Yes, and it is a serious operation: tastings, lunches, wine dinners limited to 20 people, and vineyard picnics with views over the valley. Crasto took 15th place in the 2024 World's Best Vineyards ranking, the highest of any Portuguese estate that year.
