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QUINTA DAS VERDELHAS
Some of the land of this Quinta
reaches the banks of the Douro, where the river
bends gently round at São Cibrão. It includes
the Verdelhas vineyards, with about 14 hectares of
Touriga Nacional, Tinto Roriz and
Touriga Franca, and the 42 hectares of olive
and almond groves of São Cibrão.
Near the vineyards, in the area of
Aldeia Nova, are located the ruins of a Roman
villa, which is believed to date from the 3rd or
4th centuries AD. Here there are clearly
recognisable remains of a stone winemaking lagar,
with two tanks faced with opus signinum, a
waterproofing mortar made from powdered ceramic.
Recent archaeological digs indicate
that this site was heavily populated, not only in
Roman times but right through to the sixth and
seventh centuries AD, and so into the medieval
era.
Of all the CARM Quintas, this is the
one that has the poorest soils. In order to plant
the vines on 100% stony slopes, soil had to be
brought from other Quintas. The schistous soils
are found at a height of 125 metres to 270 metres,
mainly facing east, south and west.
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ESTATES
