Dow's Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira takes its name from the little chapel between the Quinta house and the river, and was originally acquired by Dow's in 1890. By the end of the nineteenth century it was one of a trio of top quality wine estates: Dow's was a substantial owner of Douro vineyards long before most Port shippers were involved in viticulture or winemaking.
The Quinta was sold in 1954, when the Port trade was at its lowest point - a time when many Port companies were either closed down or sold. But the link was not entirely lost: the Ribeira grapes were bought and vinified by Dow's, continuing to play a fundamental part in its greatest Vintage Ports for most of the century.
To the family's great delight, the opportunity to buy back Senhora da Ribeira arose in 1998, Dow's Bicentennial year. This further consolidated the top-quality vineyard holdings for the Symington family, owners of Dow's.
Quinta da Ribeira is situated in one of the most beautiful and remote locations of the north bank of the Upper Douro Valley. Half-way between the two ancient hilltop castles of Numao and Lavandeira, which tower high above Senhora da Ribeira and Vesuvio, the Quinta dominated this ancient river crossing in the 11th and 12th centuries. It was at the Quinta's small chapel that travellers would stop to pray to the 'Senhora da Ribeira' for a safe crossing and onward journey. This is the most easterly and the most arid of the Douro Valley's sub-regions. The average rainfall here is as low as 400 millimetres a year, and the average temperatures are 3 degrees C higher than the Baixo Corgo. Senhora da Ribeira faces due south, almost directly across the river from the legendary Quinta da Vesuvio.
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Dow's
