Quinta do Noval

Founded in 1715, Quinta do Noval is one of the most iconic Vintage Port producers in the Douro Valley. Located in Alijó near Pinhão, the estate's history was shaped by three visionary figures who transformed the property.

António José da Silva, a Vila Nova de Gaia merchant, acquired the Quinta in 1894 and replanted the vineyards after the phylloxera devastation. His son-in-law, Luiz Vasconcelos Porto, revolutionized Douro viticulture by widening the traditional terraces and introducing the now-iconic white-painted stairs that have become the visual signature of the Noval. The innovation improved sun exposure and yield, and influenced the entire region.

International recognition came with the legendary 1931 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port and Nacional Vintage, considered among the finest Port wines of the 20th century. Most producers did not declare a Vintage that year due to the global recession, making the Noval's bold call all the more remarkable and prestigious. This declaration cemented the estate among the great names of Vintage Port in the British and American markets, a position it holds to this day.

In 1993, Quinta do Noval joined the international wine group AXA Millésimes. In 1997, it became the first of the traditional Port houses to centralise all production in the Douro, opening a new bottling line and warehouse in Alijó.

Today, Quinta do Noval produces both Vintage Port and DOC Douro wines (since 2004) from high-quality grapes resulting from two decades of careful replanting adapted to each parcel. A visit to the Quinta is a direct encounter with the history of Vintage Port and with a landscape classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.