Cavadinha, meaning 'well-tilled' is located in the Pinhão Valley, not far from where the Pinhão River flows into the Douro. Quinta da Cavadinha was acquired by our family for Warre’s Port in 1980, although we had been buying the grapes from the property for years.
The lower section of the vineyard, brushing the banks of the river has gentle gradients, contrasting with the steeply terraced vineyards further up the slope, which reach altitudes of up to 400 metres. The aspect of the vineyard is predominantly east-facing which - combined with the altitude - means Cavadinha has a cooler ripening cycle and is often the last of our quintas to be harvested.
A considerable proportion of Cavadinha is made up of old, mixed vineyards, some of which are over half a century old. Yields are rarely above 1kg/vine and these grapes provide superb complexity and structure to the wines. The small Cavadinha winery has 6 modern treading lagares where all the property’s grapes are vinified.
- Total Area 45.5 hectares
- Vineyard Area 29,2 hectares
- Principal Grape Varieties Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, old mixed vines
- Vineyard Aspect East and south-east
- Altitude Range 180 — 441 metres
- Average Annual Rainfall681 mm
- Average Annual Temperature 13.7ºC
- Winery Six modern lagares complemented by paddle plungers
- Supplies Warre's Port
