Quinta do Vallado

Quinta do Vallado

On May 12, 1861, a boat capsized on the Douro's Valeira rapids. Baron de Forrester drowned — his belt was loaded with gold. But Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira survived because her enormous crinoline skirts inflated like a life raft. 'Ferreirinha,' as her workers called her, went on to own 30 quintas and reshape the entire Douro wine trade. This estate has been in her family since 1716. Their Adelaide bottling — a field blend of 30+ grape varieties from 1940s vines, only 4,000 bottles a year — is named for the woman who floated while the baron sank.