Quinta do Passadouro

[DRT]

Here are some pictures of Quinta do Passadouro taken on my trip to the Douro in April 2008.

The Quinta is situated about 20 minutes drive to the north-east of Pinhao overlooking the small town of Vale de Mendiz. The property was formerly connected to Neipoort but is now in the hands of Jorge Borges, one of the infamous Douro Boys. The quinta incorporates a small guest house with nice clean traditional rooms.

The Quinta buildings viewed from the vineyards...



The winery which contains traditional stone lagars...



The beautiful secluded garden at Quinta do Passadouro with spectacular views. A nice place to enjoy your morning coffee...



An old vine (60-70 yrs) beginning to sprout new growth for the 2008 vintage...



If anyone has more information about this quinta or their wines please feel free to add to this thread.

Derek

[RonnieRoots]

Another view of the winery:



Some extra information:
Quinta do Passadouro is owned by the Belgian entrepeneur Dieter Bohrmann. Jorge Borges is the winemaker. He worked as winemaker for Niepoort until 2003. When the ties were broken between Niepoort and Passadouro, he became winemaker for Passadouro. He also makes Pintas from his own vineyard (also in Vale de Mendiz) together with his wife Sandra Tavares.

Because all the Passadouro stocks were owned by Niepoort, there is a gap in the port production between 2000 and 2005 (the 2001 VP probably ended up in the Niepoort LBV and the 2003 VP ended up being Niepoort Secundum), but table wines have been produced every year. The regular Quinta do Passadouro red is a very pleasant wine, that usually drinks best beween 3-6 years after production. The Reserva (made since 2003) is a top Douro that can compete with the best. Nowadays a easy-going red is produced as well, called Passa. Fruitforward and pleasant.

The Quinta produces a Ruby port, unfiltered LBV and Vintage. The Ruby is very good value for money and the LBV is very serious with good ageing potential. The Vintage Ports are usually medium bodied and quite soft, ageing perhaps a bit faster than the big boys. In quality, it can be compared to Quinta do Crasto.

A good quality olive oil is also made from the groves at the quinta.

The quinta also has a cosy guesthouse with six rooms.

[Axel P]

I can recommend the guest house very strongly as they offer a very good portugese cuisine in a familiar atmosphere.

By the way: Jorge Borge is owner and winemaker (and very proud) of Pintas as well. A visit at Passadouro offers the possiblity to visit Wine&Soul and if you are lucky enough you can also meet his wife, Sandra Tavares da Silva, who is working together with Christiano van Zeller. She is the responsible winemaker for the Vale Dona Maria Ports.

Axel

[benread]

I stayed here with 4 friends on 29th & 30th May 2010. It is a great location, particularly when the weather is suitable for outdoor eating. The rooms are clean, comfortable and well appointed for the price charged. Nothing too fancy, but would work for a weekend with friends or family.

Breakfast is a nice selection of breads, meats and cheeses, with coffee and juice. On the day we had to leave at 7am, we were provided with sandwiches for the journey. Dinner is a full 3 course meal with pre dinner drinks, wine and port all provided. I was able to organise a particular bottle of portr in advance with Ronald (at my cost of course.)

It is located around 15 minutes from Pinhao train station, but there were invariably taxis at the station when a train arrived and a little planning meant we always got a taxi (even though we were 5 and needing a mini bus) without much trouble. At May 2010 prices it was around EUR12-15 from Pinhao to Quinta do Passadouro and they were more than happy with the business!

Ronald and Jet (pronouned 'Yet' for the benefit of the English) run the B&B side of the Quinta, with the wine making run by others we did not meet. Tours of the winery are available with a port tasting for a small cost, but we did not have the time for this.

The general consensus is that we would all very happily stay there again, and recommend it to others. The peacefulness was wonderful!