In 2010, as in previous years, the five wineries – Niepoort, Quinta do Vallado, Quinta do Crasto, Quinta do Vale D. Maria and Quinta do Vale Meão – invested a great deal of time, energy and money in presenting and explaining Douro wines through focusing on highly professional, in-depth education and with incomparable Portuguese hospitality – great fun with Portuguese food, music and dancing.

2010 – A Year Full of Activities Around the Globe

In February, the Douro Boys taught all about Douro wines to restaurants, sommeliers, the trade and the press in a seminar in Leverkusen, Germany. Also in Germany – in March – they participated in ProWein, the international wine fair in Düsseldorf. Then, in April, the Douro Boys hosted 25 of the best Portuguese sommeliers for a two-day educational program at their estates. The Asia tour at the end of May was a big challenge, with an enormously intensive program of tastings, seminars and dinners in Tokyo, Macau, Hong Kong and Shanghai. In September, the annual launch event for the new wines (2008 vintage) took place this year at Quinta de Nápoles, with the national and international public attending. To explore the Asia market further, the Douro Boys hosted a group of journalists from Hong Kong and Tokyo during the harvest, explaining not only how to pick grapes in the steep vineyards, but also how to prepare Portuguese food – and how to party in the Portuguese way, of course. In October, the Douro Boys held a masterclass for sommeliers at the elegant Relais & Châteaux hotel, The Connaught, in central London, and were part of the “The New Douro“ tasting in the Tate Modern, showing the wines of the 2008 vintage to the British trade.

Business is the Salt of Life

Targeted activities in international markets have made a significant impact. Since 2003, the export volume of the Douro Boys wines increased by 115%; the average price per bottle has risen by 4.5%. The main markets of the Douro Boys wines are Brazil, Germany, Macau, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Top Wines Achieve Top Rankings

Leading international wine magazines have given top ratings to the Douro Boys wines throughout the year; these include