In Upper Douro, the Melo e Trigo family Estate has achieved universal reconnaissance. Awarded with several prizes, the extraordinary wines produced in the Estate celebrate the inspiration of Dona Maria Adelaide, a very peculiar woman.
It is not unusual for women to lead family businesses in Douro. This commendable tradition was carried out among the Melo e Trigo family and Dona Adelaide, with her two brothers, commands the destiny of Quinta do Couquinho rendering the oenophiles dazzled.
The Estate has 70 hectares, where the vineyards and olive groves predominate among notes of almond and fruit trees in a place of glorious beauty that borders the World Heritage wine-growing Alto Douro.
Here is the origin of an undisturbed triumph.
Grown in terrace, made in cellar and stored in French oak barrels, the fruits of Quinta do Couquinho are presented to the public as Colheita, Reserva or Grande Reserva, according to the way they are harvested, the vine varieties they combine or the processes used in their ageing.
The oenologists João Brito e Cunha and Vítor Rabaçal need no praises, for they have gathered along list of awards to testify to their talent. As illustrious generations of a dynasty, the distinctions come year after year.
The Quinta do Couquinho wines have been awarded gold and silver medals in the Wine Masters Challenge, in the Decanter Wine World Awards, in the International Wine & Spirits Competition, in the International Wine Challenge and in the Concurso Nacional de Vinhos Engarrafados. They have integrated the “Top 10 de Vinhos Portugueses” elected by an international jury that evaluated circa 300 producers. They were acknowledged by numerous critics and publications.
Their portfolio welcomes audacity and innovation. In 2010/11 a Reserva Touriga Nacional was presented. A rosé of the same vine variety was elected by the critic Aníbal Coutinho as one of the best 10 Rosé wines of Portugal. 2016 is the birth year of Dona Maria Adelaide Vintage 2013 - the first Quinta do Couquinho Oporto wine.
It is a tribute to the woman who raised the wines of the Estate to the pinnacle of perfection and harmony they display today. For the work she carried out for decades, she earned the gratitude of her family. For the pleasure we experience when tasting her wines, she will certainly earn ours.
