Casa Ferreirinha was the first Douro producer dedicated entirely to making fine Douro table wines rather than Port. Its origins date back to 1952 when, after much experimentation and against the wishes of the Ferreira board at the time, Fernando Nicolau de Almeida produced the first vintage of Barca Velha. Named after Dona Antónia Ferreira, one of the formidable widows of the world of wine who ran Ferreira Port in the late 1800s, Casa Ferreirinha pays homage to the memory of this visionary woman. Luís Sottomayor is now at the winemaking helm and holds back the Douro’s natural exuberance to produce wines that have a vibrant freshness allied to a wonderful texture and depth.

Quinta da Leda is Casa Ferreirinha’s flagship estate and is the main source of grapes for the iconic Barca-Velha, when it is made. Located in the far eastern reaches of the Douro Superior, just 12 kilometres from the Spanish border, the estate lies on the south bank of the Douro River and covers over 200 hectares, 170 of which are under vine. Rolling hills at altitudes of between 120 to 280 metres above sea level result in many different aspects and microclimates, providing Luís Sottomayor with a myriad of blending options. First planted in 1979, the vineyards are precision farmed following sustainable practices and are planted exclusively with red varieties: Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cão.

Upon arrival at the gravity-fed Quinta da Leda winery, hand harvested grapes from the estate were fully destemmed and gently crushed. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures and the varieties were co-fermented. After a long, gentle maceration, ageing took place in French oak barrels, 50% of which were new, for 18 months. After numerous tastings and analysis, the final blend was assembled by Luís Sottomayor and the winemaking team, and lightly filtered just before bottling

N.B. This wine is not currently in stock but can be ordered, usually for delivery within a few weeks -  please email info@cellarselect.co.uk for availability and lead time, or it will be confirmed after an order is placed.