About single quinta

[D Lapassion]

Hello
A question about the single quinta... is it an estate made up of one or more parcels? Thank you!

[Frederick Blais]

A quinta can have more than one parcels.

[Eric Ifune]

Depends on the house and estate. Some are single vineyards, others are not. For example, Fonseca Guimaraens is a blend of vineyards while Fonseca Quinta do Panascal is wholly from the Panascal Quinta.

[Andy Velebil]

Depends. But many (most?) medium and larger ones are a mix of smaller parcels that have been added to the original Quinta over the decades. Thus increasing its overall size.

Example: Malvedos, in the 1990’s, added other adjoining properties into the Quinta, increasing its overall size. These other properties can be either bought from another person or company or owned by the same company and they finally got round to officially adding them to a different adjoining Quinta.

Is that what you were looking for?

[Frederick Blais]

The way I saw the question was more :how is a quinta's plantation divided in many parcells. Or can the owner of one small parcell declare a Single Quinta Port?

For example, what is mostly found nowadays in Douro. You'd have a quinta divided like this, most quintas have a map of their parcells nowadays to plan harvest
-vinha do rio
-vinha velha
-Touriga Franca
-Touriga Nacional Cima
-Touriga Nacional Baixo
....
Most quintas are divided logically into many parcells based on their exposition, altitude, composition.

Some owners in the Douro do own only one parcell, I do not know what is the minimum requierement to call your Port Single Quinta.

[Andy Velebil]

The way I saw the question was more :how is a quinta's plantation divided in many parcells.

For example, what is mostly found nowadays in Douro. You'd have a quinta divided like this, most quintas have a map of their parcells nowadays to plan harvest
-vinha do rio
-vinha velha
-Touriga Franca
-Touriga Nacional Cima
-Touriga Nacional Baixo
....
Most quintas are divided logically into many parcells based on their exposition, altitude, composition.

Question can be interpreted a few ways. I think we’re doing a good job answering them all. Lol.

[Frederick Blais]

I edited my answer as you quote me, found a new interpretation :)

[Andy Velebil]

I edited my answer as you quote me, found a new interpretation :)

You raise a good question. Is there a minimum size to be called a “Quinta”? I mean ,if you own 1 hectare can it be called a Quinta?

[Bert VD]

I edited my answer as you quote me, found a new interpretation :)

You raise a good question. Is there a minimum size to be called a “Quinta”? I mean ,if you own 1 hectare can it be called a Quinta?

a quinta is just a farm. so it can be very small or very big. it can also mean estate or villa. so i guess as soon as you grow grapes and make wine on a single property it's a single quinta wine. no matter the size of that property

[D Lapassion]

Excuse me, I was absent. Thank you for your answers.
We know that each parcel is evaluated according to a table of points for the attribution of the "Beneficio".
Therefore, if a quinta buys parcels that do not have the required number of points to make Port, how does it work to make "single quinta"?
Can we compare with the situation of the Bordeaux classified estates?
Am I making myself clear or am I posing a false problem?

[Frederick Blais]

To make Ports, all the grapes need to have the proper points. To make Vintage, it requires better rankings than Ruby for example. It does not matter if it is a single quinta or not.

But it could be an interesting question to ask :''can you make a single Quinta Port from grapes of one Quinta, but different owners?'' For example, can Ramos Pinto buy grapes from Symington's Bom Retiro and still declare a Single Quinta Bom Retiro... curious!

[Frederick Blais]

Can we compare with the situation of the Bordeaux classified estates?

Bordeaux is different. Chateau Lafite is a brand. It does not matter where the grapes come from, as long as they are from Pauillac. Just like the regular Vintage for Port, Taylor's can buy grapes from anywhere in Douro as long as they have the ratings for Vintage quality. Of course they don't as they want to preserve the quality image of the brand but technically they could.

[D Lapassion]

Hey Fred, I'm not talking about the brand but about for example Chateau Lafite Rothschild which is a wine estate in the Médoc with 103 hectares of vines. You can't make Chateau Lafite Rothschild with grapes bought outside the 103 hectares delimited that's why I wanted to compare with a single quinta . In fact you answer my question ...with another question: "'can you make a single Quinta Port from grapes of one Quinta, but different owners?'' For example, can Ramos Pinto buy grapes from Symington's Bom Retiro and still declare a Single Quinta Bom Retiro... curious!"
And that is exactly the question I am asking myself....Port is full of mysteries!

[Glenn E.]

Therefore, if a quinta buys parcels that do not have the required number of points to make Port, how does it work to make "single quinta"?

As I recall, Port can be made from any rated vineyard within the demarcated region, but the amount of Port that you're allowed to make decreases as the vineyard's rating decreases. This is why most (if not all) Vintage Port is made from 'A' and 'B' rated vineyards - because those vineyards have the highest quality, of course, but also because they have the highest benficio or allowed production. Oscar Quevedo provided a good explanation of the vineyard rating system and the beneficio here.

A small Quinta with only a single 'C' rated vineyard could still theoretically make Port and call it a "Single Quinta Vintage Port", but it would not be allowed to make as much as it would be able to make if it were an 'A' rated vineyard.

Note that there is a second consideration to making your own Port - the Lei do Terco or Law of the Thirds. In order to produce and sell Port, a company must have a minimum volume of Port on hand, and may only ever sell 1/3 of their stock on hand. There is a fairly complicated formula used to determine what may be sold, which Roy has written an article to explain here. This law, in effect, prevents small farmers from producing and selling their own Port because they simply do not have the required volume to be a Port producer. So instead they sell their beneficio and grapes to the larger producers. I don't remember the minimum volume required off the top of my head, but as I recall it's a couple hundred thousand liters. It's not an insurmountable obstacle for a decent-sized company, but it does make it nearly impossible for a small or even medium-sized farmer.

To make Ports, all the grapes need to have the proper points. To make Vintage, it requires better rankings than Ruby for example. It does not matter if it is a single quinta or not.

But it could be an interesting question to ask :''can you make a single Quinta Port from grapes of one Quinta, but different owners?'' For example, can Ramos Pinto buy grapes from Symington's Bom Retiro and still declare a Single Quinta Bom Retiro... curious!

I don't believe that there's any requirement for Vintage Port to be made with higher-rated grapes than those used for Ruby Port, but it is certainly in the best interest of the producer to do so. Vintage Port is the pinnacle of Ruby Port, so if you're going to make it and put your name on it you should use the best grapes you have.

As for your second question, once a quinta has been divided up into multiple owners, I suspect that it is no longer considered to be a single quinta. I know that the reverse is absolutely true - if an estate buys adjoining parcels they can be added to the estate and considered part of the single quinta. In fact, Quinta dos Malvedos has done exactly that over the years. So since the additive version is true, one would expect the subtractive version to also be true. If you sell part of your quinta to someone else, you can no longer use those grapes to make a Single Quinta Vintage Port.

[Andy Velebil]

Hey Fred, I'm not talking about the brand but about for example Chateau Lafite Rothschild which is a wine estate in the Médoc with 103 hectares of vines. You can't make Chateau Lafite Rothschild with grapes bought outside the 103 hectares delimited that's why I wanted to compare with a single quinta . In fact you answer my question ...with another question: "'can you make a single Quinta Port from grapes of one Quinta, but different owners?'' For example, can Ramos Pinto buy grapes from Symington's Bom Retiro and still declare a Single Quinta Bom Retiro... curious!"
And that is exactly the question I am asking myself....Port is full of mysteries!

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I thought you could buy and use grapes from other vineyards in Bordeaux as long as they came from the same appellation.

As for Port. Despite what is often said publicly, you can use a small amount of grapes from another Quinta in a "Single Quinta VP". Example; Quinta A buys and uses 10% of grapes from Quinta B to make their SQVP. That is allowed and Quinta A can still call it a SQVP. I forget the exact percentage allowed, I think 20% but I could be wrong so don't quote me on that being the exact percentage. IIRC, Oscar Quevedo even mentioned this either on this Forum or on one of his posts on his website in the past. I'll have to try and find it, unless someone else beats me too it.

[Eric Ifune]

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I thought you could buy and use grapes from other vineyards in Bordeaux as long as they came from the same appellation.

Yes. Classed growths trade vineyards all the time. The fruit can be used in the grand cru.

[Glenn E.]

So... a couple of hours of light research...

There are 4 regulations (that I could find) published by the IVP that specifically discuss this classification: Circulars 6/1994, 1/1995, 3/1995, and 7/1995. Each in turn also refers back to the legislation that originated the category, which was the Port Wine Designation and Presentation Regulation of December 1990, Article 2Q, point 3, sub-paragraph i).

Unfortunately I can't find the law itself so I can't go back to the root of the question, but I can try to interpret the clarifications.

6/1994 says that the law is manifestly insufficient to guarantee the prestige of a single quinta wine and prevent its misuse and inevitable trivialization, and that discussions are underway to clarify it, and that producers interested in using "QUINTA" or a similar indication on their product for the 1994 vintage must register their intent to do so with the IVDP. Registration must include the name of the Quinta, its location, its owner, and its "area to consider" with a view to the preparation of actions which will guarantee the geographical origin of the grapes. This regulation does not say so explicitly, but the implication is that the grapes must come from the Quinta in question. I infer this because at no point does the circular refer to any Quinta except the one being named on the label.

1/1995 requires the establishment of a "checking account" which I believe simply refers to a special filing with the IVDP that declares the quinta in question, the parcels that make up the quinta, and the volume produced whether in full or in part that is intended to be used for Port wines that mention "QUINTA" or an equivalent on the label. It also says that wines may be moved out of this account at any time, and that wines may be moved into this account only at the time of approval of the registration of a batch of Vintage, LBV or Colheita. Again this regulation does not say so explicitly, but it strongly implies that the grapes must come from the Quinta in question.

3/1995 is stored as a photo of a printed page on the IVDP website, so I can't cut & paste it into Google to translate. My meager Portuguese skills tell me that it's talking about testing of the product, the number of bottles (6 x 75cl) that you have to send to the IVDP for that purpose, and what happens when it is passes or fails the testing. It doesn't seem relevant to our question.

7/1995 is somewhat broader and deals with communications between producers and the IVP, but the pertinent section (B, 1. and 2.) discusses the stocks intended to be commercialized with mention of "QUINTA" or equivalent and the date of harvest. Once again it does not specifically say that those stocks must all be produced from grapes grown at the quinta, but that definitely seems to be the implied intent.

What is notable in everything that I found is that never once is any kind of a percentage or fraction mentioned. These regulations only specifically refer to stocks produced at the quinta, not grown at the quinta. But if I am wrong about the implied intent (being that all of the grapes must be grown at the quinta in question), then none of the grapes actually need to be grown at the quinta. There's no percentage mentioned anywhere, so it's an all-or-nothing deal. Either all of the grapes must come from the quinta in question, or none of them must come from the quinta in question.

That seems implausible, so I believe that there is in fact no allowance for any percentage of the grapes used to make SQVP to come from any parcel that is not part of the quinta in question. It must, in fact, be a single quinta product.