Casa d'Arrochella

Casa d'Arrochella - fresh wind in the Douro Valley

Casa d'Arrochella is a young winery from the famous Douro region in Portugal. The estate extends over 600 hectares, 115 of which are planted with vines. The estate is managed by Bernardo de Arrochella Alegria, who succeeds his predecessors Nicolau de Arrochella Moraes and Castro Pimentel in his task. Casa d'Arrochella is one of a series of newly founded wineries in the Douro Valley, which have a passion for the classic viticultural techniques of the region and combine them with modern methods.

The vineyards of Casa d'Arrochella

5 vineyards belong to Casa d'Arrochella:

• Quinta do Cerval
• Quinat do Nabo
• Quinta das Trigueiras
• Quinta de Vale d'Arcos
• Quinta da Peça

On the latter is the Casa d'Arrochella winery, in the municipality of Vilas Boas, not far from the town of Vila Flor. It has a production capacity of 300,000 litres. Granite presses and stainless steel tanks are used for vinification.

Casa d'Arrochella - Viticulture in the Douro Valley

The Douro Valley is probably the most famous wine-growing region in Portugal. This is where the famous port wine comes from, and it is only here that it can be produced under this name. The vineyards stretch along the river for about 80 km. Typical for the region are the slopes with a lot of slate. Viticulture on the Iberian peninsula goes back to the Romans, even if the production of drinks from grapes was already common before them. The Alto Douro sub-region was demarcated by landmarks in 1756, making the region the first in the world to receive a protected designation of origin.

Typical grape varieties of the region

Historically, grape varieties were often mixed, but in modern times, single-varietal cultivation has gradually gained ground. Today, 5 varieties dominate viticulture in the region:

• Touriga Nacional
• Tinta Roriz (the Tempranillo)
• Tinta Cão
• Tinta Francesca
• Tinta Barroca

In addition, there are also some white grape varieties, such as Gouveio, Malvasia Fina or Viosinho.