Quinta do Crasto

Quinta do Crasto takes its name from the Latin 'castrum,' referencing the Roman fort that once stood on the estate. First documented wine production dates to 1615, making it one of the oldest winemaking estates in the Douro. During 1758 to 1761, the Marquis of Pombal installed 335 granite markers to demarcate the world's first official wine region, and one of those original markers remains visible at Crasto today. The estate was purchased in the early 1900s by Constantino de Almeida, founder of the Constantino Port house, and was managed by his son Fernando Moreira d'Almeida after his death in 1923. Since 1981, Leonor Roquette and her husband Jorge Roquette have owned and managed the property, now with their sons Miguel and Tomás involved in winemaking and estate management respectively. The estate celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2015.

• Name derives from Latin 'castrum,' a Roman fort
• First documented wine production in 1615
• Original Pombal boundary marker still on site from the world's first demarcated wine region
• Roquette family ownership since 1981, now fourth generation

The main estate covers 135 hectares in total, of which 74 hectares are planted to vine, situated on steep terraced slopes in the Cima Corgo at elevations ranging from 120 to 600 meters. The soils are complex schist, the signature geology of the Douro, which forces vine roots deep in search of water and nutrients. Eastern and southern aspects deliver excellent sun exposure across the estate. An additional 114 hectares at Quinta da Cabreira in the hotter, drier Douro Superior extends the estate's footprint. Forty hectares of old vines, some over a century old, are farmed across several named plots, including Vinha Maria Teresa, Vinha dos Cardanhos de Cima, and Vinha da Ponte.

• Steep schist terraces at 120 to 600 meters elevation in the Cima Corgo
• Eastern and southern aspects provide strong sun exposure
• 40 hectares of old vines, some exceeding 100 years of age
• Second estate, Quinta da Cabreira, located in the Douro Superior sub-region

Quinta do Crasto grows a wide range of traditional Douro varieties alongside a few international grapes. Red varieties include Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cão, Sousão, and Tinta Francisca. White varieties include Gouveio, Rabigato, Viosinho, and Verdelho, with Syrah also grown on the estate. The range spans premium and super-premium Douro red, white, and rosé table wines, plus a full portfolio of Port styles including Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage, and Colheita. A notable partnership with the Cazes family of Bordeaux produced the premium Douro red 'Xisto.'

• Core red varieties: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca
• White varieties include Gouveio, Rabigato, Viosinho, and Verdelho
• Full Port range: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, LBV, and Colheita
• Collaboration with Bordeaux's Cazes family on the premium 'Xisto' red blend

Quinta do Crasto played a pivotal role in shaping the modern Douro table wine scene. When Portuguese law changed in 1994 to allow single quintas to bottle and export independently, Crasto was among the first to seize the opportunity, helping establish the Douro as a world-class table wine region. The estate joined the Douro Boys, an influential collective of top Douro producers, in 2003. Today it exports 40 percent of annual production to 54 countries on all continents. World's Best Vineyards ranked Crasto fourth globally, and Wine Spectator placed the 2005 Reserva Old Vines among the three best wines in the world in 2008.

• Pioneered single-quinta independent bottling and export after the 1994 law change
• Member of the Douro Boys collective since 2003
• Ranked fourth worldwide by World's Best Vineyards
• Wine Spectator 95-point score for 2005 Reserva Old Vines, third-best wine in the world in 2008