Planting a new vineyard according to old tradition

In an ideal year, from our 14 ha of certified organic (since 2010) and classified grade A vineyards, we could produce 300-350 hL of must to vinify into red and rosé Quinta do Tedo estate Ports and Douro DOC wines (we do not grow, nor buy white grapes). 

Compared to Burgundy’s Grand Cru (35-37 hL/ha) or Bordeaux’s First Growth (45 hL/ha), Quinta do Tedo’s 20-25 hL/ha and Douro Valley’s 30 hL/ha average yields are low. Might you ask “Why?”

First off, it’s harder to maximize the number of individual vines planted per hectare of stone wall terraces or patamares on heterogeneous hillsides with 30% slopes, compared to wider and more easily mechanized flatlands. Secondly, Douro’s hot, dry mediterranean climate and low organic matter soils limit vegetative growth and fruit production. And, finally, Douro is a mecca for old vines which produce less, but arguably more concentrated, complex, and consistent quality grapes.

Small old vineyard parcels densely co-planted with 20+ local varieties are both Douro’s best kept and most vulnerable treasure, considering the lack of next generation local grape growers to care for them, and large estates buying and replanting them to grow higher yields of fewer grape varieties.

We were lucky to purchase Quinta do Tedo in 1992 with Savedra, an intact 75+ year old parcel from which we produce (not in quantity, but surely in quality) our Grande Reserva Savedra Douro DOC red wine and Vintage Savedra Port. 

However, we cannot sustain growing demand for our relatively small Port and Douro DOC wine production, our Team Tedo, and the next generation of our family business only on old vines producing increasingly less grapes. And selling obnoxiously high-priced wines goes against our Bouchard Family principles and Portuguese culture by which fair-priced, quality wine is a democratic good enjoyed by all.

So, every 5-8 years, we replant bit by bit of our vineyards that have negatively succumbed to old age or disease, such is the natural cycle of immortal life. We replant according to the traditional field blend concept on a larger-scale, sustaining a mosaic of micro-parcels of different ages and varieties best adapted to each micro-climate.

In 2022, we replanted a past-its-prime old vine with Bastardo (to make a lighter-style Douro DOC red wine), Sousão (with intense color and acidity, and low alcohol potential to make fine Port), and a few Touriga Nacional clones (to observe their adaptation to each micro-parcel and climatic changes). We restructured the once unmechanizable sloping patamar with 20+ vineyard rows into smaller terraces, each with a single row of densely planted vines between which our tractor could pass to aerate the soil and make organic treatments.

This new vineyard architecture lost us 1.7 ha of plantable land to terrace walls and tractor paths, which we recuperated this year, planting the Seita Nova vineyard following old traditions at 200 meter elevation on Northeast and East facing slopes bordering matos (low-lying shrub).

Instead of buying pre-grafted vines (genetic clones which produce quicker and with more consistency, but arguably a lack resilience and “terroir identity”), we planted two different rootstocks onto which we will graft a massal selection of less-common local varietals like Malvasia Preta, Cornifesto, Donzelinho Tinto, Tinta da Barca from old vines.

We planted 1103 Paulsen rootstock, better adapted to the drier and windier conditions on the larger North East-facing slope which has deeper, more fertile and potentially more acidic soils where matos once grew. On the less fertile East-facing slope we planted 110 Richter rootstock. Both rootstocks are drought-tolerant, deep-rooting and late-ripening, and thus well adapted to Douro’s warm, dry climate.

Planting a new “old vine field blend” sounds romantic, but is no small investment and requires more planning than doing to ensure the vines will thrive past 25-30 years. Detailed operations count, “like trimming the rootstocks’ to avoid their producing excess CO2 which can intoxicate the planting hole and hinder the vine from establishing new roots there”, Quinta do Tedo’s Viticulture Manager Angelo Ribeiro explained to me. 

We are grateful for the hard work of our full-time local Vineyard Team (no doubt with some outsourced help!) who spent the first half of April digging 80 cm deep holes (to secure humidity) through hard schist rock soils. With 80 cm between each hole, our high density planting will increase the vines’ horizontal competition for resources, which they'll have to grow deep roots down to find. Finally, high pressure watering deep into each hole helps the earth crumble around the new vine, cradling it into its new home.

If all goes well, in Spring 2025, we will graft massal selection onto the planted rootstock. As we face and prepare for more intense drought conditions, in our 2019 and Seita Nova vineyard plantings we’ve shifted from spur pruning (Cordon) to low-trained cane pruning (Guyot) which we believe is better suited for lower-yielding, long-living vines in hotter, dryer growing seasons. We expect the first clusters from Seita Nova in 2026/2027, and quality fruit only after 10-12 years.

And there you have it - a snippet of what it means to be wine growers chasing amelioration while preserving tradition in the age of climatic uncertainty, to continue to produce classic and complex, deep and terroir-driven Port of DOC wines that scream “Douro”. 

Stay tuned for how our 2022 and Seita Nova plantings come along!

~ Odile & Kay Bouchard

Joyeuses fêtes 2023 !

2023 fut une année formidable, au cours de laquelle notre Équipe Tedo a excellé et notre Fan Club Tedo s'est agrandi.

Conformément à nos objectifs de gestion durable, nous investissons dans notre équipe de guides touristiques locaux, afin de les encourager à présenter fièrement, personnellement et professionnellement le patrimoine unique et les produits de qualité du Douro, et de les pousser à toujours apprendre.

Cette année, notre visite de référence a inclus le Graham's Port Lodge et une expérience d'accords mets-vins internationaux au The World of Wine, à Porto.

Bien entendu, le succès de notre enotourisme et de nos ventes dépend de la qualité de nos Portos, vins Douro DOC et  huile d'olive extra vierge.

Pour remercier nos équipes de viticulture et d'œnologie de leur travail ardu et pour favoriser leur développement personnel et professionnel, nous avons visité nos voisins à Real Companhia Velha à Pinhão, pour mieux comprendre le terroir et les vieilles vigne du Douro, et à Alves de Sousa à Santa Marta de Penaguião, dont nous admirons l'honnêteté et la qualité de leur vinification et assemblage de barriques. Obrigada pour nous avoir reçus :)

Quinta do Tedo vous souhaite de chaleureuses et joyeuses fêtes de fin d'année, pleines de Porto !

Notre célébration Tedo de fin d'année a compris un magnifique repas de 5 plats préparé par la merveilleuse équipe du Bistro Terrace, accompagné de vins fantastiques de notre région, ainsi que des pépites Californiennes et Bourguignonnes de la cave de la Famille Bouchard, et notre "nouveau" Tawny 30 ans 🍷

~ Kay & Odile Bouchard

Happy holidays 2023!

2023 has been a great year, through which our Tedo Team has excelled and our Tedo Fan club has grown.

In line with our sustainability goals, we invest in our team of local guides, empowering them to proudly, personably and professionally showcase Douro Valley’s unique heritage and quality products, and encourage them to never stop learning.

This year, our Tasting Room benchmarking field trip included Graham’s Port Lodge and an international wine and food pairing experience at The World of Wine in Porto.

Of course, the success of our wine tourism and sales depends on the quality of our fine Portos, Douro DOC wines and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

To thank our Viticulture and Enology Team for their hard work, and to nurture their personal and professional development, we visited our neighbours at Real Companhia Velha in Pinhão, to gain more insight on Douro Valley’s terroir and old vine field blends, and Alves de Sousa in Santa Marta de Penaguião, whose honest, quality winemaking and barrel blending we greatly admire. Obrigada for receiving us :)

Quinta do Tedo wishes you warm and happy, Port-filled holidays!

Our annual holiday party included a beautiful 5-course meal prepared by the wonderful team at Bistro Terrace, paired with fantastic wines from our region, as well and the Bouchard Family’s California- and Burgundy-focused wine cellar, and our extra special Tawny 30 Year 🍷

~ Kay & Odile Bouchard

Recent international tastings, and our new Grande Reserva Savedra 2020 and Olive Oil 2023

While Quinta do Tedo is first and foremost a winery, owner Vincent Bouchard always said “it’s easy to make wine, the challenge is selling it”… 

Well, good wine is not so “easy” to make, and great wine takes many more hours of skillful vineyard and cellar work to nurture, which our small, savvy Adega Team is dedicated to at Quinta do Tedo.

At Quinta do Tedo we do not just nurture great Portos, Douro DOC wines and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but a unique story, terroir, heritage and savoir-faire and our Bouchard Family values. This differentiates our premium quality and authentic products those reputation-tarnishing, mass-produced Portos you find for 5-10€ on the supermarket shelf, or those that grandma serves once a year, quasi-warm, from the cupboard in decorative aroma-crippling glasses.

We invest in qualified, local staff to host professional and personable technical tours at Quinta do Tedo, enlightening wine-curious visitors and aficionados about Douro Valley region and history, the traditional transformation of our estate’s grade-A grapes into a range of fine Portos and Douro DOC wines, when and how to enjoy them, and with what gourmandises.

For the sake of dividing and conquering duties, when not on-site at Quinta do Tedo, our Bouchard Family Brand Ambassadors embark on busy Port education and tasting itineraries to complement our on-site Team Tedo’s efforts, internationally. Let’s recap some recent Tedo appearances…

September 30, 2023 - Port Wine Day in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.

October 13, 2023 - Quinta do Tedo was the 7th top-selling producer at our Dutch importer Okhuysen’s Open Doors Tasting in Haarlem, Netherlands.

October 14-20, 2023 - Spirits Festival and La Part Des Anges in Nantes, followed by visits to 28 wine shops, bars and restaurants between Roche Sur Yon, Angers, Tours, Rouen and Paris with our French importer, Jean Boyer.

November 16 & 20, 2023 - sharing a stand with Odile Bouchard’s Gamine Rose personal white wine label at La Rèleve tasting of next generation Burgundian wine projects in Beaune, France followed by the infamous La Paulée harvest luncheon at Château de Meursault.

November 24, 2023 - launching our Tawny 30 Year at Germany’s premiere Port tasting, Portweinmessen, full of Tedo Fans and next generation of Port Lovers.

We hope to see you at one of the above tastings next year! In the meantime, mark your calendars for the following near-future tastings at which we’ll showcase some new products (see below):

  • December 15 & 16, 2023 - annual Quinta do Tedo tasting “entre amis” in Merceuil, France.

  • February 12-14, 2024 - Vinexpo in Paris, France.

  • March 10-12, 2024 - ProWein in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Grande Reserva Savedra 2020 (shop online)

We produce Grande Reserva Savedra only in high-quality years - 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and, our most recent release, 2020 - when our old vine Savedra parcel, a 75-year-old field blend of 18+ varieties, shines especially bright. Recent warmer and sunnier growing seasons charge our grape skins’ with more color, tannins, and aromas, which we finely extract via delicate macerations that preserve this iconic vineyard’s unique mineral, cherry and forrest berry, wild herbs and floral expression without losing freshness. 2 years of aging in mostly new 228L French oak barrels of various forest origins and toast profiles softens age-worthy grip and imbues noble chocolate and tobacco aged aromas in our Grande Reserva Savedra, focusing its tension and persistence. Pair with wild mushrooms, slow cooked beef or boar stew or blue cheese and confited-tomato tart, or cellar and enjoy its evolution over 5-20 years.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (shop online)

Considering our extremely limited albeit high quality 2022 olive harvest, which we quickly sold out of in September 2023, were happily blessed with abundance this year - our 4 hectares of 50- to 150-year-old olive trees literally overflowed with healthy fruit, which we started harvesting in October, preserving freshness without adding aggressive spice or bitterness to our in our rich and greatly gastronomic cold-pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The first batch is decanted, bottled and back in stock in our Tasting Room and Online Shop for your enjoyment.

Tawny 30 Years (shop online)

Our “newest” old Tawny is an exquisite elixir celebrating 30+ years of Bouchard Family ownership at Quinta do Tedo, since 1992. Its limited-edition packaging includes a velvet Quinta do Tedo embroidered bag, with our signature wooden bar top cork, soft wax seal with opening instructions, and hand-written bottle number. Read more about this new product in last month’s blog.

~ Kay & Odile Bouchard