Quinta do Espinho by Red

   
Located in Douro · Portugal

The Quinta do Espinho estate has been in the Macedo Pinto family for several generations, with the current management being in place for the last 30 years and turning it into one of the Douro region’s most respected red wine producers.

The property’s history can be dated back to the time when the wine region was first officially designated by Portugal’s Marquis de Pombal. The area was further recognised in 2001, when UNESCO designated the Upper Douro winegrowing region as a World Heritage Site, noting its importance as one of the world’s greatest wine-producing landscapes.

The Macedo Pinto family has been instrumental in developing this reputation, gaining a mention in Pinho Leal’s 1873 Portugal Antigo e Moderno guide as the owners of ‘the best and most extensive vineyards of Portugal, few abroad being comparable, able to produce dozens and dozens of famous “casks” of Port-Wine’.

The contemporary version of the estate now covers 20 hectares on the left bank of the Douro River in the Cima Corgo region, which is also home to some of the most well-known port wine producers. A project to recover the old vineyard and plant new vines was started in 1986, making the most of the nutritious soil, the ideal climate and the location at 195 metres altitude.

A further development took place in 2010, restoring the original 18th-century buildings to preserve traditional features like the stone wine mill (which is still in use) while also installing modern equipment for wine production and storage to allow for maximum quality in the finished wines.