The history of Quinta do Bom Retiro goes back a long way for it was in 1789 that Her Majesty Queen D. Maria I authorised its inclusion in the “Zona de Feitoria”. 231 years later this quinta, located in the Cima Corgo sub-region of the Douro, near Pinhão, bathed by the waters of the River Torto, grows grapes that produce elegant and complex wines with great ageing potential.
Covering a total area of 110 hectares, varying in altitude between 110 and 400 metres. 80 hectares of Quinta do Bom Retiro are planted to vines with an average age of 40 years. Only native grape varieties were planted here. This quinta was used as an experimental site to study the best planting and adaptation techniques with regard to the terroir of the Douro.
In this quintas, the vines were originally planted on traditional terraces, known as socalcos and, for the first time in the Douro, on contour-hugging terraces or patamares. Quinta do Bom Retiro was the first in the Douro to introduce mechanized vertical planting (vinha ao alto).
