Quinta Vale Dona Maria is a magical family estate, planted with a myriad of traditional grape varieties that grow on steep hillsides located in the heart of the Douro Valley, one of the first and most prominent demarcated wine regions in the world (the Douro was established as a protected region in 1756).

The Douro Valley is the birthplace of Port, a type of fortified wine. There are essentially three factors that set it apart from other types of wine: the location, the grapes and the fortification process.

For decades, Quinta Vale Dona Maria has been producing port wine using traditional methods. Following a long hot summer, the grapes are harvested and taken to the winery where they are arranged in “lagares” (large granite wine presses) and foot-trodden. After the vinification process, the wine ages for years or decades, and each year the wine produced is stored in traditional wooden casks that display the vintage painted by hand, using an ancient stencilling technique that involves a very precise craft.

After ageing for fifty years, the 1969 harvest proved to be such an exceptional vintage for winegrowing at Quinta do Vale Dona Maria, that it merited an exclusive bottle.

Inspired by the shape of the ‘1969’ painted on the wooden cask where the wine was stored until today, we developed a powerful image for this special 50-year old Port.