Wojciech Bońkowski
Master of Wine

In Portugal (7): Vale Dona Maria: First among equals

Blogging from the Douro valley, part 6. My favourite red Douro wine has long been Quinta do Vale Dona Maria, and I visit the winery to find out why it’s so good. The answer?

In Portugal (6): Vallado: Leaps and bounds

Blogging from the Douro valley, part 5. I stay at the 18th-century Quinta do Vallado where owner Francisco Ferreira and winemaker Xito Olazabal have been making qualitative leaps and bounds.

In Portugal (4): Burmester: Time goes by

Live blogging from the Douro valley, part 4. Douro wines are great but let’s not forget what made this region famous: port. In a memorable tasting I go back to the 1957 vintage of this majestic wine at Burmester, a historical house.