Dows Quinta Do Bomfim Vintage Port Wine, 75 cl

Product Information

Apart from the Vintage Port, Dow’s Ports boasts a fine line of Ports, including Quinta do Bomfim Vintage Port, Senhora da Riberia Vintage Port, Late Bottled Vintage Aged Tawny Ports, Nirvana Reserve and Ruby Ports.

Rigorous fruit analysis is carried out every year, comparative micro-vinifications being conducted in a dedicated winemaking facility at Quinta do Sol. The underlying objective is always to strive for maximum quality and that this may be reflected in the excellence of the Dow’s Ports in the bottle. This grape variety - very important for Vintage Port - now represents almost exactly a third of the total planted at the quinta. The entire vineyard has the maximum ‘A’ rating. Senhora da Ribeira is considered one of Douro’s classic River Quintas and most beautiful vineyards. The wines from Senhora da Ribeira are among the finest in the Douro and complement the wines from Bomfim in the composition of the Dow’s classic Vintage Ports. The company produces its wines from the Bomfim, Senhora da Ribeira, Cerdiera and Santinho vineyards. Bomfim is considered one of the finest vineyards in Douro Valley and is the heart of Dow’s Ports. The vineyard is the main structure of Dow’s Vintages since its acquisition in 1896. Some of the most commonly used wine-making grape varieties like Tinta Barroca, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional.

About the Winery

Senhora da Ribeira’s wines are some of the finest in the Douro and they complement those from Bomfim in the composition of Dow’s classic Vintage Ports. The latter would be incomplete if one of the two was absent. The quinta’s high proportion of old vines (45% are over 25 years old) is of critical importance. The old vines are very low-yielding, producing on average less than 1Kg of grapes each, giving intense and concentrated musts which are ideal for classic Vintage Port. The remainder of the vineyard was replanted as follows: 21% in 2001 and 34% from 2004, the latter involving mainly Touriga Nacional vines.

As with Bomfim, the consistency of the climate plays a key role, although the rainfall is only half of that experienced at Bomfim: 448mm is the 10 year average. This more extreme climate, hot dry summers and cold, equally dry winters results in wines with unique depth of colour and complexity. Bomfim is a classic ‘River Quinta’ with many natural advantages: it is south-facing ensuring ample exposure to the sun; its stony schist soil affords excellent drainage allowing water to reach the vines’ deep roots; the annual rainfall is near perfect at 800mm (15 year annual average); the altitude ranges from 120 to 340 metres above sea level, accommodating both gentle gradients lower down and progressively steeper slopes higher up the valley side, as well as offering a variety of aspects. A further advantage is the consistency of the climate, blessed with a favourable combination of temperate and Mediterranean influences, respectively from Portugal’s Atlantic coast and the Spanish hinterland. The result was the Symington ‘robotic lagar’, a fully automated treading machine which has revolutionised winemaking in the Douro Valley. They are very expensive but the results have been so good that an increasing proportion of Dow’s finest wines are now made in the robotic lagares. Approximately half the component wines for Dow’s much praised 2003 Vintage were vinified in them.Since Senhora da Ribeira’s reacquisition in 1998, its Single Quinta Vintage Ports have in a very short period of time amassed a highly impressive number of awards, namely: three gold medals at the International Wine Challenge (London, 2008, 2006 and 2001, for the 2005, 2002 and 1999 Vintages, respectively) as well as seven silver medals and three golds at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (London, 2008, 2007 and 2002 for the 2005, 2004 and 1998 Vintages, respectively). The Cerdiera vineyard produces outstanding fruit that is similar to the Dow’s vineyard in style. The Santinho vineyard is a property of the Symington family, like the Cerdiera vineyard. The grapes from these vineyards are vinified at the winery at Senhora da Ribeira, producing some of the very best Dow’s Ports. One of the classic River Quintas of the Douro and one of its most beautiful vineyards, Senhora da Ribeira is located 24km (15 miles) upriver from Quinta do Bomfim, a relatively short distance that belies the distinctive characteristics of each property. George Warre’s entry into the Bomfim visitors’ book dated October 5th, 1899 (the very year the above picture was taken) recounts a curious episode: In the Quinta’s Centenary year - 1996, Dow’s produced a superb single - quinta Vintage Port from Quinta do Bomfim. This wine has received wide critical acclaim, most notably a Gold Medal at the International Wine Challenge (London, 2005).

Robotic lagares: Senhora da Ribeira has one of the most advanced specialist wineries in the Upper Douro, combining the best of traditional winemaking practice, evolved over centuries, and the latest state-of-the-art automated systems. Seven granite ‘lagares’ for foot treading are now complemented by three ‘robotic’ lagares, designed by the Symington family and installed in the quinta’s winery in 2001. Dow’s has had the reputation of Upper Douro Valley’s finest Port for over two centuries. Building on the preceding Silva family and Dow family’s legacies, the current owners of Dow, the Symington family, bring with their ownership the experience of having worked in Dow’s vineyards at Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira and the Quinta dom Bomfin. The Symington family brings the legacy of creating intense and tannic concentrated wines with the DOW wines, which age elegantly and are scented with mint and violet aromas. Field research and development: advanced vinification practices amount to nothing without careful attention to viticulture and for this very reason, Dow’s employs a full-time viticulturist. One of his primary tasks is to conduct field experiments to assess such aspects as trellising systems, suitability of specific grape varieties, among several others. One of the principal areas under study at Bomfim is the matching of appropriate canopy management techniques to the grape variety and location. Accordingly, parcels of vineyards at the quinta contain six different trellising systems to monitor their performance under Douro conditions, using local varieties.