Quinta de la Rosa
Updated: Aug 2
There are easier places to grow grapes than the Douro. Vineyards rise sharply from the river in narrow terraces, roads twist around the hillsides and almost every view makes you wonder how anyone manages to work the land at all.
I visited Quinta de la Rosa in March 2024 while spending time with my family in Portugal. My parents have a house in Lourinhã, which makes a trip north to the Douro Valley relatively straightforward. I had already met owner Sophia Bergqvist and shown several Quinta de la Rosa wines and ports at my Oxford college tastings, so the estate felt like an obvious place to visit.
Quinta de la Rosa sits just outside Pinhão, with its vineyards climbing steeply from the north bank of the Douro. I had previously visited Graham’s Port Lodge in Porto and Quinta do Bomfim in the Douro, but staying at a working estate in the valley offered a different perspective. The vineyards, winery, cellars, family home and guest rooms are all gathered together beside the river.
The quinta has been in Sophia’s family since 1906, when it was given to her grandmother Claire as a christening present. Sophia and her father, Tim, relaunched the estate in 1988, initially producing port under their own name before expanding into Douro table wines. Its original winery, complete with eight traditional granite lagares, dates from 1908 and remains central to production today.
Sophia showed me through the vineyards before we moved into the winery and cellars. The old lagares sit alongside modern equipment, and some of the wines are still foot-trodden during harvest. From Sophia’s description, this appears to be as much a party as a production method. She also mentioned an annual challenge involving a swim across the Douro followed by a run up the opposite hillside. Looking at the gradient, I was quite happy simply to hear about it!
The winery itself was not entirely unfamiliar after previous visits to other port producers, but the tasting that followed was particularly interesting. We worked through a broad selection of still wines and ports, including varietal bottlings of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinto Cão that I hadn't previously come across in the UK. Tasting the varieties separately was a useful reminder of how much is hidden within the familiar idea of a Douro blend. Each showed a distinct personality, particularly Tinto Cão, which is far more often encountered as one component among many.
The standout for me was the Cerejinha 2021. I liked it enough to take two cases back to my parents’ house, which is probably a more useful recommendation than any formal tasting note. It was also a good example of why the Douro deserves to be considered for much more than port.
That said, it was the ports I already knew best. What I particularly like about Quinta de la Rosa is the restraint. Port can sometimes feel dominated by sweetness, whereas La Rosa’s wines retain freshness, acidity and a distinctly drier finish. The aged tawnies are particular favourites of mine, combining dried fruit, nuts and orange peel without becoming heavy. I left with three bottles each of the White Port and the 10, 20 and 30 Year Old Tawnies, alongside the two cases of Cerejinha. Fortunately, I did not need to fit them all into a suitcase.
The White Port also deserves more attention than it generally receives. Served over ice with tonic, a slice of orange and a sprig of mint, it makes an excellent summer drink - ideally beside a pool.
That evening, I joined Sophia, her husband and one of their sons, Kit, for dinner at their home. It was a lovely and very relaxed evening, although Cozinha da Clara, the estate’s restaurant, remains firmly on the list for my next visit!
Later that night, there were fireworks. I still have no idea what they were celebrating. From my room, they appeared over the opposite side of the valley, briefly lighting up the hills and reflecting across the Douro. It was an unexpected and rather picturesque end to the day.
The visit strengthened my connection with both the estate and its wines. Since then, Sophia and I have met several more times, and Quinta de la Rosa has continued to feature regularly at the tastings I host.
The two cases of Cerejinha did not last indefinitely. Nor, for that matter, did the Tawny Port.