Noval may surely lay a just claim to being the most
famous of all the Douro Quintas. It is, indeed, quite probably through its name that most
Port drinkers have come to know what a "Port Quinta" is. The name literally
means "in the valley", as one might suppose, from quinta's dominating situation
on left side of the Pinhão Valley.The heart
and soul of Quinta do Noval is the 145 hectare property, which dominates the Pinhão
Valley in Upper Douro region of nothern Portugal. The famous estate, with its immaculate
whitewashed terraces and breathing views, has produced some of the greatest ports of the
century, including legendary 1931 Quinta do Noval Nacional.
Some people wrongly assume that Nacional is named
after Touriga Nacional. The name in fact comes from the "Nacional", ungrafted
vines described as being " attached directly to the soil of the nation".
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