In an apparition of the 19th century, the viticulture world faced an unprecedented catastrophe: the phylloxera, a small insect that traveled from America to Europe and devastated vineyards all over the place. After decades of despair, given that the plants native to the New Continent were resisting the pest and the process began, which is still the norm, of grafting European varieties onto American vine plants. But this has become incredibly rare as original “vinifera vitis” plants. At Quinta do Noval, they exist: they were planted in 1924 without grafting and, seven years later, they gave rise to a mythical Port, Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage 1931. There began the career of the most expensive Portuguese wine.

The Noval Nacional costs around 1000 euros per bottle in its year of launch, but the most coveted crops reach values ​​well above that value. The fact that it is made with grapes from a parcel that is a perfect replica of the pre-phylloxera Douro vineyard immediately attracts attention, as it is a rare privilege. But there is another factor – beyond the intrinsic quality of the wine, of course – that enhances the product to the point of making it an object of worship: the rarity of the wine. The vineyard of Noval Nacional has just two hectares and the annual production is around 200 to 250 cases of wine – there are 12 bottles of 0.75l per case.

Quinta do Noval produces other Ports, but the “Nacional” seal is only applied to wines from a small portion of vines planted in free standing (that is, without grafting in American “vitis”) from another vineyard that had resisted to phylloxera. The dominant variety is Touriga Franca, but it also has Tinto Cão, Touriga Nacional, Sousão and Tinta Roriz.

And it’s the grapes that make all the difference, explains Christian Seely, general director, on the farm’s website. “What makes a wine excellent is the quality of the grapes, the character of the harvest and the place from which it comes. These aspects are far more important than anything we can do, whether in the vineyard or in the winery. The Nacional is vinified in the same way as the rest of the Quinta do Noval vineyard, with foot treading in a stone press. The result is always something very different. The Nacional Vintage is what it is because of the grapes and its share of origin, not because of a special winemaking process. Its terroir forges its greatness.”

But making great wine has no single recipe. And if the Noval Nacional is a parcel wine, from an old vine in open standing, another great icon of national viticulture is the product of the blend of grapes from various sources, but always with a well-regarded philosophy. We are talking about Barca Velha, the still wine (an expression used to differentiate from fortified wines such as Porto, Madeira or Moscatel de Setúbal) most famous in Portugal. And the most expensive, too.

The Old Barca Icon

The concept of Barca Velha was created by João Nicolau de Almeida, and his successor in oenology, Luís Sottomayor, explains the “recipe”: “It is made with grapes from Quinta da Leda and other properties in high areas, all in the Douro Superior [o terço mais a Leste da região; as outras são o Baixo Corgo, a Oeste; e o Cima Corgo, na zona intermédia] and acquired by Sogrape exactly for this purpose. It’s about marrying the structure and tannins found in the first, located at low levels, and the acidity and freshness of the second, in the highlands. The result is a wine with elegance and harmony – and with aging potential. “

Like all good things in life, Barca Velha makes itself wait. “There is no rule on the time for the wine to come out. It comes out when we consider that it is ready to be consumed. In the case of 2011, it took ten years”, explains the winemaker at Sogrape, the company that produces the most iconic still wine in Portugal . And the launch of a Barca Velha is always a special event – “Since the first edition, in 1952, only the formal one 20 times.” The most recent was from 2008. In 2021, therefore, he had the right to taste the harvest of the mythical year of 2011, considered one of the best ever in the region. More than enough reason for the market to react enthusiastically and prices rise to close to 900 euros per bottle. 30,000 were made.