Quinta da Levandeira do Roncão
It’s located in the heart of the Douro Demarcated Region, on the right bank of the Douro River, in the old village of Vilarinho de Cotas, Alijó municipality, renowned for the production of high quality Port wines . With around 45 Ha of planted area, divided in to vineyards , of which, 1.5 Ha of very old Vine with more than 60 years and 8 Ha with 20 years of age. Quinta da Levandeira is located between the heights of 500 and 600 m of altitude. With a very rough relief , hillside with different slopes varying between 5% and 45%; an acid soil of schist origin, with a high degree of stoniness, which makes it in a shallow soil and very poor in organic matter, similar to the typical soil of the Douro region.
The vineyard is exposed to South, therefore the vines are exposed to the sun all day which is reflected in the quality of its ripeness.
The most important geological feature responsible for the microclimate of the Douro region is the mountain chain that protects it from the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, offering a continental climate characterized by hot and dry summers and cold and rainy winters. The annual average temperature is 16 ° C and the average annual rainfall is 900 mm.
The whole area of the vineyard is planted with 6 different grape varieties, but two grape varieties represent about 63% of the total area (35% Touriga Franca and 28% Touriga Nacional).
The wine production in Quinta da Levandeira dates back at least to the 19th century. The existence of old terraces called” Mortórios” inside the Quinta testify the presence of phylloxera, a vine disease that attacked the Douro region in the 19th century (1868) and destroyed a large part of the vineyards in the region. After decades of production and supply of grapes to other shippers, the Estate lived a long period of partial abandonment. With the profound restructuring carried out by the Ribeiro family, the production of Port wines and wines of the Douro under the brands DR and Quinta da Levandeira do Roncão was restart in 2001.