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Hello everybody,
We all know the names of so many Quintas... and when we use "Google", it's easy to find out how they look... nowadays. Some of us even had the pleasure to visit some Quintas in person.
But how did they look back then...?

I have some old pictures and would like to share them...

Here is the first... Which Quinta might this be? A little hint: The gate might give it away - it's still the same, 100 years after this photo has been taken...

Hmm. Is that Noval's gate?

A very interesting picture. Look at all the moratorios in the foreground. Do you know when the picture was taken?

Dear AHB,
Thanks for your guess... and no, unfortunately it's not Noval.
A little hint: Sandeman might wish that this would be Noval - because this Quinta here belongs to Sandeman...

I don't know the exact date of the photo - but it should be somewhere between 1907 and 1910.

Nice old photo of Q. Seixo

Tom

Very good, Tom!

Here is the next one...
What is the name of this beautiful Quinta?

Looks like Vesuvio

Tom

Tom,
You seem to have a good run... Bingo.

Obviously this was too easy for you...

Here is the next Quinta:

Q. Carvalhas?

Tom

Congratulations, Tom - that is a Hattrick... 3 right answers in a row... Yes, that is Quinta dos Carvalhos...

Now we have to make it even more difficult... This Quinta is very difficult to identify...

I'll let others have a stab at this one - there's nothing in that photo that is immediately recognisable.

Tom

Rhoeda?

Hi... i have no answer to the pics..... but look at Vesuvio, from then til now...... the waterline at the Douro.
Very nice pics...

ac-fast wrote:Hi... i have no answer to the pics..... but look at Vesuvio, from then til now...... the waterline at the Douro.
Very nice pics...

Yes, the old photo's can be misleading as these were before the dams were built. When the dams were constructed the water level rose quite a bit, causing the flooding and loss of vineyards at the lower sections of all river front Quinta's. So for Vesuvio, those lower vines are now under water. In the photo you can see what appears to be the end of the train tracks below the house (or an old road) and vines/shrubs below that. Now the train tracks are essentially the end of the property before it drops into the water.

The last pic appears to be possibly Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira

Wow, Andy - respect. You are right - I didn't expect anybody to figure this one out...
Tonight I will post the next photo - now I am in the office and don't have access to my photos.

And here is the next Quinta... To make it a little bit easier, I will post two photos...

Quinta do Crasto?

Great photos! When exactly were they taken? It appears like it was during the times of the phylloxera crisis.

RonnieRoots wrote:Quinta do Crasto?

At first glance I thought the same, but the hillside goes up away from the house, at Crasto it's the opposite.

It almost looks like Quinta Vale D. Maria in the second pic.

You may well be right, the shape of the vineyard in front of the quinta doesn't match with Crasto either, but it was my best guess.

Wonderful pictures Christian. Thanks for posting them here. Great to see a bit of Douro history in this way.

It appears like it was during the times of the phylloxera crisis.

It is very hard to put a timestamp on any of these photos - the architecture and environment are so timeless; and even today, modern intrusions like pylons and telegraph wires are mostly quite discreet.

The quality of the photography makes me suspect that they are probably from the inter-war period, but some very good still photos were made on glass plates in the early days, and they could just as easily be some Box Brownie snaps from the fifties or later.

- Do you have any idea when they were taken?

Tom

Christian

These photos are great and are really interesting to see. Please keep going with your quiz - I am really enjoying watching the people who know the quintas far better than me having their guesses.

Alex

Dear Friends,
Thank you for all your nice words.
It's good to see that these great photos are appreciated - and they are a very interesting example what love and hate can achieve. The photos were taken by Emilio Biel. Emilio Biel would have been one of the most famous Portuguese - if he would have been Portuguese. He was born in Germany on Sep. 18th, 1838 and moved to Portugal in 1857. From 1860 on he lived in Porto. He absolutely loved technology. He understood that the world was changing quickly and he tried to learn as much as possible about all the new inventions. He made one of his hobbies to his profession: He became a photographer and was so successful that the members of the Royal family chose him to take their photos. But the photography wasn't enough to keep him busy. He realized the potential for electric light before most other people and he was the driving force to provide electric light to the town of Vila Real. There are also rumors that Emilio Biel was allowed to drive the first tram of Porto at the inauguration. He is also believed to have been the first owner of a telephone in Porto. In 1880 he issued a special edition of the "Lusiadas" from Camões - the most famous Portuguese writer ever. This edition is so well done and so beautiful that it's nearly impossible to find it these days and if, then only at an extraordinary prices of several thosand dollars. He issued "A Arte e a Natureza em Portugal" in 8 volumes between 1902 and 1908 with hundreds of photos about Portugal. He was a successful businessman and would have been very famous nowadays in Portugal - however, the first World War happened and Portugal and Germany were enemies. Even if Emilio Biel loved Portugal and was more dedicated to the country than most Portuguese, it didn't help him - the Portuguese government confiscated all the assets of the Germans in Portugal. He lost his house and his photo archive - which showed the life of the Portuguese since 1860. He had been traveling 50 years through Portugal, taking thousands and thousands of photos. He was very interested in rail roads and has published many beautiful photos of the building of rail road tracks in northern Portugal. He took portraits of shepherds and many workers and helps us to have an idea how people in the late 19th century in Portugal were dressed. He took many photos of villages and towns and from convents and churches. He was very interested in the Douro Valley and the Quintas of the Douro. Some of his photos have survived - but most of his archive was (due to my knowledge) sold by the Portuguese government to somebody in Canada for a ridiculous low price and has never been seen again. Emilio Biel died on September 14, 1915.
So the photos that I have shown here will have been taken between 1860 and 1915 - most likely between 1900 and 1908, if I must guess.
I am very sorry for the length of this post - but Emilio Biel is one of my personal heroes and I am always glad when I can educate the public about him... And I had this text written for another web-page and just needed to copy and paste it...

This Quinta seems to be very difficult to solve... I must confess that I don't even know how the Quinta looks today... When I was last year in Portugal, I saw the sign that showed the way to this Quinta - but I had no more time and couldn't stop...

Here are two more photos... especially the last one should give it away - this is the storage of the Quinta...:

Panascal?

DRT wrote:Panascal?

oh come now, the barrel clearly says Eira Velha on it

I don't think it is Panascal. Ive been there a couple times. Good guess though, assuming you thought the E.G. on the barrel had some link to Guimaraens and Fonseca.

Eira Velha it is. Is that a Martinez vineyard?

Yeah, that looks like Panascal to me too, especially the first picture. The 2nd picture pretty much guarantees that's not the case though.

This are fabulous photos - hope you have more.

I consider myself lucky to have spent time in the Douro in the early 1980's because it has changed so much since then. But these are another age - which many of us have visited only by trying wonderful bottles.

Yes, this is of Quinta da Eira Velha...! But really difficult to spot.
And as I believe, there is a connection to Martinez. Cockburn managed the property since the 1970s and and made the single quinta vintage under the Martinez label.

Here is the next Quinta... As far as I know, it still looks more or less the same...:

That looks a lot like Quinta do Bom Retiro to me...

You guys are good. To me it looks like a photo of the Gobi desert that got run through the washing machine.

Portman wrote:You guys are good. To me it looks like a photo of the Gobi desert that got run through the washing machine.

it usually helps when you look at the pics before drinking the bottle of port =)

Christian wrote:I am very sorry for the length of this post - but Emilio Biel is one of my personal heroes and I am always glad when I can educate the public about him... And I had this text written for another web-page and just needed to copy and paste it...

Christian,

I am delighted that you put such a post on this thread. I found it extremely interesting and was delighted to be able to read about the history behind the photographs and the person who took them. I might even spend some time trying to learn a little more.

And, as I have said before, I do find these photgraphs absolutely fascinating and really appreciate you sharing them with us.

Alex

g-man wrote:Christian,

I am delighted that you put such a post on this thread. I found it extremely interesting and was delighted to be able to read about the history behind the photographs and the person who took them. I might even spend some time trying to learn a little more.

And, as I have said before, I do find these photgraphs absolutely fascinating and really appreciate you sharing them with us.

Alex

Christian,

I have nothing to add, very interesting pictures combined with an excellent idea.

Many thanks

Axel

No more pics ?????