Dona Matilde, one of the oldest and most famous properties in the Douro region

Quinta Dona Matilde is one of the oldest properties in the Douro region. Previously known as Enxodreiro, the farm was part of the first demarcation, ordered by the Marquês de Pombal in 1756, and was part of the properties authorized to produce “factory wines”, an expression synonymous with the best wines, those intended for export. Even today, the entire vineyard on the farm has the letter A, the highest classification in the region, used in the Port wine sector.

Augusto Leal wrote in the book Ancient and Modern Portugal, in 1875:

“The wine from this farm is very fine, although its cultivation seems to be very expensive, due to the steep slope of the land and its composition of schist stone.”

Located on the north bank of the Douro River, in the Bagaúste dam area, the farm has 28 hectares of vineyards, installed between elevations 50 and 300 meters and with a large river front. old vines between 75 and 95 years old, plantations that are 25 years old and more recent ones that are just 3 years old.

Quinta Dona Matilde also constitutes an important natural habitat in the Douro. With a total surface of 93 hectares, there is a large area occupied by uncultivated land, with natural vegetation, which includes the so-called mortorios and also many olive trees – the farm has 1100 registered, but in the founder's old record book the purchase of 12 thousand olive trees in the middle of the last century.

Flanked by large trees or stone walls, the farm's paths also lead towards the orange and lemon orchard or the terraced gardens, with roses and other typically Mediterranean vegetation. This biodiversity territory of the Douro is also inhabited by partridges, kites and Bonelli's eagles; hares, foxes and wild boars; snakes, spiders and many other insects that prey on vineyard pests.

Quinta Dona Matilde came to the Barros family through the hands of Manoel Moreira de Barros, in 1927. The purchase of the farm took place during a period of great development in the family's wine business, with the property benefiting from major improvements: in addition to the planting of new vineyards, the house was rebuilt and large gardens were created. In honor of his wife, Manoel de Barros changed the name of the farm, then called Enxodreiro, to Dona Matilde.

In 2006, the Barros family sold the Porto Barros group and, with it, the Dona Matilde farm. In the following months, without the Douro and without the harvest, the founder's grandson, Manuel Ângelo Barros, felt that 30 years of work in the region had left roots and looked for vineyards in the Douro to buy.

As luck would have it – and the intuition of Manuel Ângelo’s wife – Quinta Dona Matilde ended up returning to the family at the end of 2006.

“An expression of terroir and the knowledge of generations, the Dona Matilde project focuses on the production and commercialization of superior quality DOC Douro and Port wines.”