The historic Quinta do Ataíde, with its 18th Century manor house, occupies more than 100 hectares of unusually flat land in the Vilariça valley, amongst ancient olive groves and vineyards, and dates back to the very earliest days of agriculture in this region.

When the Symington family purchased Quinta do Ataíde in 2010 they immediately recognised the potential of the terroir and its surrounding vineyards. Part of the reason for this potential  was the region’s unique micro-climate, which is generated by two granite escarpments that form the ‘Vilariça basin’ creating a special set of viticultural conditions that are not found elsewhere in the region.  Since they acquired the Quinta, the Symington Family have used their wine-making expertise to realise the full-potential of these exceptional conditions. Head wine-maker, Charles Symington, has modernised the estate so that it is now capable of producing wines to rival those from any other region of the world.

Today the estate is organically farmed, and together with the Symington owned Quinta da Canada, represents the largest organic vineyard ownership in Portugal.
Quinta do Ataíde ‘Vinha do Arco’ is made from organically farmed, estate grown Touriga Nacional grapes. This variety has a special significance for Quinta do Ataíde because it was instrumental in the recovery of Touriga Nacional in the 1890s. It was here that the first ever cloned selection of Touriga Nacional was planted, and cuttings from these vines have been used in many new plantings across Portugal. Today, the pioneering Vinha do Arco vineyard covers 13.75 hectares and is producing wonderfully elegant wines that reflect the Douro’s great wine making tradition and the unique identity of the Vilariça valley.