Quinta do Vale Meão

Quinta do Vale Meão lies in the Douro Superior, near Pocinho and Vila Nova de Foz Côa. It was one of the last great undertakings of Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, known as Ferreirinha, and today it is a wine and olive oil estate owned by the Olazabal family.

The property is tied to the story of Barca Velha, whose first harvest dates from 1952, and since the late 1990s it has bottled wines under its own name.

History of the estate

• Antónia Adelaide Ferreira was born in 1811 into a family involved in Port wine and, from 1864, began expanding her business eastwards along the Douro valley.
• In 1877 about 300 hectares of uncultivated hillside, the Monte Meão, were bought at public auction from the municipality of Vila Nova de Foz Côa.
• Between 1887 and 1895 a model estate took shape: around 150 hectares planted with vines and olive trees, two cellars, a manor house, a hospital, a school and two chapels.
• Ferreirinha died in March 1896. In 1898 her heirs founded Casa Ferreirinha.

From Barca Velha to the estate's own wines

The estate's own timeline records 1952 as the first harvest of Barca Velha, under Fernando Nicolau de Almeida. In 1972 Francisco Javier de Olazabal became manager of the property and in 1994 the Olazabal family took full ownership. The first estate wines, Quinta do Vale Meão and Meandro do Vale Meão, were released in the late 1990s. The vineyard now covers 104 hectares.

Visiting

The estate offers guided tours of its historic vineyards with a wine tasting in a room overlooking the cellar and the vines. Advance booking is mandatory, by email at turismo@quintadovalemeao.pt; confirm prices and times directly with the estate.

In the area you can pair a visit with the Côa Valley Archaeological Park or the Pocinho Dam.