Douro Valley wines with Manuel Lobo of Quinta Do Crasto

On the right bank of the Douro River in Portugal, between Régua and Pinhão, is the family owned wine estate Quinta Do Crasto. We spent an evening with their talented Head Winemaker, Manuel Lobo, tasting six wines and a Port, whilst learning about old vines, traditional Portguese grape varietals and the landscape of the beautiful Douro Valley.

Quinta Do Crasto, which holds winemaking records dating back to 1615, has 220 hectares of vines split between the sub-regions of Cima Corgo and Douro Superior. Head Winemaker, Manuel Lobo joined in 2007 and is known for creating premium Douro and Porto wines, working with up to 80 grape varietals, coming from some of the oldest and most historic vines in the Douro.

Head Winemaker Manuel Lobo

Manuel’s passion for wine developed at an early age, with family involved in viticulture and winemaking providing the opportunity to get involved in harvests as a teenager. At 17 years old Manuel decided to study winemaking at The University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro in Vila Real, then went on to work for Penfolds in South Australia and Chateau Montelena in the Napa Valley.

In 2002 Manuel returned to the Douro Valley as a winemaker for Montez Champalimaud before taking up his current position, working for the Roquette family, who have owned Quinta Do Crasto since the early 1900s.

With the steep hills, vines at altitudes of up to 600m and extreme continental climate, which Manuel described as “nine months of winter, three months of hell!”, wine making at Quinta Do Crasto can prove challenging but it is an environment that he and his team appear to thrive on.

Wine making techniques vary from traditional vinifcation methods, using granite containers and treading the grapes by foot to the use of modern wine making technology. Extraction of the juice is done in a natural way and indigenous yeasts are used as much as possible.

When it comes to harvest time, Manuel and his team focus on selecting the right picking day to achieve the freshness and to maintain the primary fruit aromas, which leap out of the glass in the expressive, robust wines.

Though renowned for their red wines, Manuel was challenged by owner Jorge Roquette to create a white wine. Manuel admitted to us that at first he told the family that it was not a white wine region but over time, by finding enough natural acidity in the higher altitude fruit, a range of white wines has been created.

The wines

Crasto White 2019 was our first wine of the evening. A blend of Viosinho, Gouveio and Rabigato with high natural acidity, particularly from the Rabigato. The majority is fermented in stainless steel vats with 15% aged for three months in used French oak barrels and occasional lees stirring. We enjoyed the citrus and tropical fruit aromas with some orange blossom notes. A good wine to enjoy by itself, or paired with seafood, grilled white fish and chicken.

Next we moved on to a Reserva style white, the Crasto Superior White 2018. This time from a blend of 60% Viosinho and 40% Verdelho. Aged for six months in French oak barrels, with 50% new and 50% used oak, 15% of which with heads of acacia wood, which Manuel advised is good for maintaining the primary fruit aromas. Fine citrus aromas with light floral notes and crisp minerality, with a long, balanced finish, this one has good ageing potential and makes a fine food pairing wine.

The reds were a superb showcase of the native varietals as well as Manuel’s skills. We were treated to the Crasto Red 2018, Crasto Superior Red 2017. Crasto Superior Syrah 2017 and the Quinta Do Crasto Reserva Old Vines 2017 before finishing with the Quinta Do Crasto LBV 2015 Port.

The first two reds featured popular Portuguese grapes Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz, with a small addition of Tinta Barocca to the 2018 for silky tannins and Souzão in the 2017, a rustic grape commonly used in the production of Port. The first created using mid region fruit, the second from Douro Superior.

The Syrah is a result of the many experiments Quinta Do Crasto has carried out in the Upper Douro. It has an addition of 3% Viognier, which Manuel advised brings softer tannins and a fresher mid palate to the Syrah, which alone can be too dry.

Whilst discussing the Port with Manuel, we were given a final reminder of the Crasto mantra about picking the fruit at the right moment and holding on to that freshness. The retention of the primary fruit aromas and flavours was evident in everything we tasted and was enjoyed by us all.

If you would like to try some of the Quinta Do Crasto wines, you can enjoy a 15% discount on purchases made at The Great Wine Co. before 23.59 on Monday 9^th November 2020 by entering discount code ENJOYCRASTO15. Let us know your favourite on Facebook or Instagram!