Recuperating a traditional vineyard in the Douro Valley – a story in pictures

Part I

View of the plot that was planted in 2017 taken from the eastern hill which is now being renovated. On this slope – gentle at the top steeper down below — the stone walls folllow the terrain contours. This picture was taken in March 2019 from the hill to the East, during the reconstruction of the walls on this same hill.

**Overall aerial view of the quinta taken from South to North with the southern slope in the forefront. These plots had just been planted — this photo was taken in August 2017.**

This vineyard is centuries old and was in bad condition. Three years ago, a recuperation project was initiated. The shape of the original terraces and walls was respected. A huge number of walls had to be rebuilt using schist stones from a local stone mine, similar to the original ones.

My loyal friend Leo watching as the vines start budding in early spring — March 2019. Leo came to live here in April 2017 when he was 4 months old and the vines were being planted. They grew here together since then.

In the Douro Valley tradition schist stone walls have been used for centuries used to build terraces on steep slopes and allow the plantation of vines. These stone walls allow drainage and prevent soil erosion. Some walls follow the terrain contours with elegant curves. In steeper areas, such as the hill on the eastern end, the terrain was changed long ago to give way to higher linear straight walls. This was the norm since the latter part of the 19th century in most of the Douro Valley slopes.

**In December 2018 the grapevines had just been trained into the single cordon method.**

These terraces were planted in the traditional high-density Douro Valley mode. Vines are planted 80 cms apart from each other and the lines are 140 cms apart. This results in densities of 6,500–7,000 plants per hectare depending on the topography. High plant densities make the vines fight for resources producing modest yields and forcing the roots to grow several meters deep to survive. This provides for good grape maturation in dry summers being one key factor for high quality grapes for winemaking.

High density plantation. Vines are 80 cm from each other and lines are 140 cm apart. Further ahead on the hill at the eastern end there is a plot with terraces sustained by straight walls. At this time the terrain was prepared for plantation.

Roads for machine circulation are carved on the inside of each terrace adjacent to the upper wall. Every vine is no more than 15 meters far from a road. This facilitates viticulture labour throughout the year as well as during harvest.As mentioned above soil erosion is a major concern in mountain viticulture. Therefore these roads are designed with precise lateral and longitudinal gradients so that rain water flows and does not form ponds. A lot of mistakes were made in plantations in the Douro in the 1980s which did not account for soil erosion. In the last two decades viticulturists have revisited the tradional cultivation style, with modern adaptations such as these.The vines shown here were planted in April 2017 and benefited from exceptionally good growing conditions last year (2018) with wet a Spring and a mild Summer. They will produce the first grapes in September 2019.

**New vines, planted in April 2017. In March 2019 shoots begin to grow from the buds. These vines will produce the first grapes this year.**

The new vineyards are now budding in early Spring while my loyal friend Leo is watching. Leo came to live here when he was 4 months old at about the same time as the vines were being planted on these terraces. They grew together in this terroir. He is most happy when walking with me in these vineyards — in truth, he runs up and down, back and forth, while I walk and look at the vines.Apart from this completely replanted plot rootstocks are being planted in other plots in the midst of very old vineyards (more than 80 years old) to be grafted later with canes from the local vines to keep the character. The result will be a mixture of old and new vines, respecting as much as possible the existing grape varieties including some traditional local clones of Tinta Roriz that made up a significant part of the existing vines.

This the same plot, now looking West towards another hill with steep slopes with old vines. Other plots in this farm hold old vines too which provide a unique character to the grapes and the wine. In these plots the the old vines were kept. The vines that are depleted are gradually being replaced with vitis americana rootstocks that will be grafted with canes from local vines later. This is a process to be executed over the years.

The olive trees that surround the plots were pruned and treated and are growing with renewed vigour. In 2–3 years we expect to harvest a good amount of olives.Other old walls are being rebuilt, and new plots planted on the eastern end hill. As shown before these are straight walls and they are being finished by the end of March. Plantation will take place in April. This small plot will be the only one in this property with white grapes and we will use the native Douro variety Viosinho. This is a sort of an experiment as this property aditionally used to produce only red grapes. Since this variety is known for rapid maturations we will need to be attentive and harvest this plot earlier than the rest.

Recuperating an old wall sometimes requires tearing it down and rebuild it with new stones. The base must be strong so that it can bear the pressure from the terraces especially when water permeates the terrain. Schist saone walls allow drainage and prevent soil erosion.

**Walls and terraces reconstruction needs to be executed in steps as earth must be moved from one level to the other during the process.**

**Following the original wall setting stairs were preserved and rebuilt. They are perfectly integrated in the wall structure and usually no more than 50 meters apart to allow moving between terraces.**

The same terrace on April 4. Wooden poles were placed along grooves that were carved on the soil 140 cm apart to mark the plantation lines. The plot is ready for the rootstocks of Viosinho to be planted 80 cm from each other on these lines starting today.

**Here is the same plot 10 days after plantation, on April 14.**

**A cloistered area of the plot freshly planted, photo taken on April 14. This is part of the experiment with Viosinho white grapevines.**

View of the hill where Viosinho was planted. We are in the second half of April 2019 and the small vines are growing well after substantial rain over the past two weeks. This vineyard faces West and is open to breezes and air circulation which helps prevent diseases.

Unfortunately one of the walls that was erected in 2017 collapsed over and extension of around 20 meters in March 2018. A few of the old ones fell too. The soil was loose because it had been prepared for plantation and there were landslides that made the walls collapse. These walls had to be rebuilt this year. In one of the terraces that was near a fall line some underground pipes were installed for a more powerful drainage.This property has been in my family for generations and I always felt it is an important part of my roots. I bought it 3 years ago when it was in poor condition with the aim of recuperating in respect of the graceful tradition of the Douro Valley “quintas”. Fortunately most of the original walls and terraces had not been torn down to give way to “modern” vineyards that departed from tradition as occurred in many other properties in Douro. It is rewarding to see now the results of a well planned and executed work. This is a multi-year project and there is still work to do. But he groundwork has been essentially accomplished.I thank the team led by Paulo Macedo from Agro Global, who helped me plan and then has been closely following up all the works. Thanks also to the daily crew of Sílvio, Zé, Jorge, Alcino, Manuel and others who treat the vineyard with care as if it where their own, never forgetting a regard for the aesthetic side. I am thankfull to Francisco Carvalho for arranging this great crew and helping in the plantations in 2017 under difficult conditions. To Orlando for caring about the property. And to Carlos Cardoso for the accurate work in rebuilding the walls.A little history in pictures of where we came from and how we got here.

This how the plot looke like in November 2014, when we were starting to plan the recovery. The vines were in a poor state and many had died. The terrain was filled with weeds and other invasive plants that had been subduing the vines.

This is how the plot looked like in May 2016. The old grapevines, that were mostly dead had been dug out. Then the walls were to be repaired followed by earth moving to form the terrace and carve the road alongside the upper wall. Next the plantation lines were drawn where the rootstocks would be planted, as shown in some of the next pictures.

This is the same plot one year later in June 2017, 3 months after plantation. This was a rather dry and hot month. The first leaves are growing with vigour, but they required substantial watering that was continued throughout that Summer.

Before reconstruction old vines had to be extracted and the terrain cleared so that the walls could be rebuilt. This is the same plot lower down the slope in a steeper section where the walls were mostly destroyed and the terraces damaged by erosion. When walls collapse the earth from the terraces slides down.

View of the South slope from below in October 2016. This was after the terrain had been cleared and before the walls and terraces reconstruction started. The small parcel in the forefront was cleared to be planted too.

The following photos show the evolution of these plots.

This is in April 2017. The walls had been repaired. In the forefront the poles are aligned ready to be erected where the rootstocks are to be planted. On the left of this lot the plantation had been concluded.

**A few months after plantation — July 2017**

**Roughly two years later in June 2019. The vines have been trained and show healthy vigour.**

To get here a lot of work was required on the terraces of the south slope.

**Walls being rebuilt, February 2017. This work requires machines and manual labour to place the stones with precision.**

Grapevine rootstocks being planted in April 2017. The plantation required a precise geometric drawing on the terrain to make the best use of each terrace´s topography. Plantation lines usually follow the lower wall contour with break points at the fault lines were stairs form one terrace to the next are placed.

The property was geo mapped with altimetry by drones in December 2015 to help in planning the work. The plots are georeferenced to a precsion of 10 cm. One day this will be of use for monitoring the vineyards.

This video shows the South slope. It was shot on August 2017, 4months after plantation

Part II

View of the North slope in a January 2019 frosty morning. At 09:30 ground temperature was -2 ºC. The local climate in this slope is different from the one of the South slope even though they are less than 100 meters apart. The main reason is the Sun exposure. The other side of the river is sunny while this slope is still shady and frosty.

Part I here

Recovering these vineyards is a long process that takes years.

Several plots in this property have been recovered and replanted in the past 4 years (2016–2019).

In the first part I documented the major works performed on the Southern slope. There are other areas that have been recovered besides that one. Mainly on the Northern slope that faces the Pinhao river. Actually the river bends almost 180º on the East of the property and area that is too rocky and steep to cultivate and sides with the lower part of the South slope.

Overall view of the North slope in March 2019, taken from another point. The new plantations on the plots near the river are identifiable by the green shields that are used to protect the young vines while they grow. The green shields in the foreground show recently planted rootstocks that will be grafted later with canes from the old grapevines.

The new plantations sit side by side with old vineyards. In the latter new rootstocks are being planted in order to be grafted with canes from the surrounding vines to maintain the profile. This will be an important work for the next 3–5 years.

The new plots are identifiable by the green shields that protect the young grapevines.

Before we go back to the Northern slope there is another plot worth mentioning lower down on the South slope, near the river bank to illustrate the transformations made.

The plot on the South slope near the river bank, seen from above on the West hill. In June 2016 earth is being moved by a bulldozer to arrange the terrain in platforms and prepare the soil for plantation.

In June 2016 it was being prepared for plantation. Many works had to be delayed because of rain. Rebuilding the walls is made impossible and even preparing the terrain is not feasible with muddy earth.

Therefore plantation could only take place in July. This proved complicated because of a very hot and dry summer. Despite frequent watering many young rootstocks died burned by the strong Sun. This particular plot had to be mostly replanted the following year. In 2017 we planted much earlier and took special care with some of the most problematic rootstocks. Even though we had a hot Summer the frequent watering made the new plants thrive.

**The same plot in July 2016 . The terraces have been formed, the upper ones with walls the lower ones with ramps.**

**The same plot in June 2018 from a different angle. The vines have been planted and are growing well after a very favourable Spring.**

Now let’s see the North slope. Here is another plot that had vines in very bad condition and was included in the recovery plan that was initiated in 2016. This one is in the North facing slope up from the rio Pinhao river bank.

The first phase took place in 2017, the vines were planted in June, a bit late. Then came a very hot Summer that caused some rootstocks to burn. These had to be replanted in 2018, earlier in the season and under better conditions.

Now let’s see the North slope. The plots next to the river were the first to be recovered. They had vines in very bad condition and were included in the recovery plan that was initiated in 2016.

View of the western end of the North slope . The Pinhao river is on the right side bordered by trees. The vineyards were in poor condition especially the lower part in the western end. Some of the plots had been invaded by ferns conspicuous by their reddish colour. This was in part due to the acidity of the soil that had to be corrected with limestone.

This one is in the lower part of the North slope 30–40 meters up from the rio Pinhao river bank.

**This plot was in very bad condition. This is how it looked in December 2016 after the old vines were dug out .**

These plots were planted mostly with Sousão and Touriga Nacional varieties.

In 2018 a small plot in the Northern slope adjacent to the previous one was planted with Tinto Cao grapes. This plot seats near a fall line and suffered from a wall collapse in March 2018, as it was awaiting plantation. The earth had been moved to prepare for plantation and was very loose. Then a sequence of heavy rains during several days caused a landslide and the subsequent collapse of an old wall.

The wall that was sustaining this terrace collapsed due a landslide after heavy rains. The terrain was very loose as it had been moved to make way to plantation. Leo always attentive to the works is watching as the terrace is being repaired in April 2018.

**A closer look. The wall subsided at the point where the stairs were which proved to be the weakest spot.**

To prevent a future episode underground pipes were installed to allow better drainage. The wall was re-erected and the vines planted in May.

**During reconstruction undergorund pipes were installed to improve drainage.**

**In June 2018 after the wall was rebuilt and the plot planted. The terrace above the wall was planted with Tinto Cao variety.**

**A closer look at the wall showing the stairs that were built where the old ones were. The underground drainage pipes evacuate near this point.**

In parallel to the new plantations new rootstocks have been planted amidst the old vines in a process called “retancha”. These new rootstocks will require watering to survive the dry summer months while the roots are shalow. It is a labourious work as there is no mechanical access to most of the old terraces.

This vineyard is more than 80 years old. It had many dead vines, and mechanical access was impossible. In February 2019 we used a technique involving digging an explosive where each rootstock is to be planted. This creates a hole and loosens the soil to facilitate planting. It is rather expensive to use in other locales but it paid out in this particular plot.

These rootstocks of american vines (Vitis rupestris, used for its strong roots and resistance to phylloxera) will be grafted with canes from the old vines to maintain the character of the vineyard.

“Retanchas” will be gradually done in the old plots for the next 3–5 years. And will continue occasionally for the future.

In the North slope the main varieties that were planted are Sousão, in the lower plots next to the river bank, Touriga Nacional in the upper plots and Tinto Cão in the middle.

In the South slope described in Part I, different varieties were used — Tinta Roriz (grafted from the original old vines) Touriga Franca, Alicante Buschet, Rufete, Tinta Francisca and a little Sousão. Apart from a small plot where we used Viosinho, the only white grapes in the whole property.

Due to the heavy rainfall in March 2018 another old wall and a newly built one fell in the South slope. The terrain had not compacted yet after the plantation. It had to be rebuilt.

**An old wall that survived many decades, fell in March 2018 after heavy rains. The terrain was not yet compact after plantation and this makes them more vulnerable.**

**A little further down on the same slope a newly built wall fell too, for the same reasons. Probably the landslide started at the junction between the new and the old walls.**

We are in April 2019 and this wall is being rebuilt. Parts of the old wall that were still up were taken down and are being replaced to strengthen the whole terrace. Two plantation lines were sacrificed. We will have to decided whether we will plant them again this year or wait for the next.

These vineyards have a long tradition producing grapes for Port Wine, having been used for great Vintages. We started experimenting with DOC Vinhas Velhas (Old Vines) Red Wine, and hopefully will do the same with white wine within a few years.