Just 30 minutes drive north of Porto, experience top Vinho Verde wines from a leading wine estate

The wonderful city of Porto - along with Vila Nova de Gaia across the River Douro - is one of the world’s top wine destinations and the beating heart of Portugal’s amazing wine scene. But how great it is, that within 30 minutes you can be in another world, that of the beautiful Vinho Verde wine region, home to some of the world’s most beautiful vineyards and Portugal’s largest, greenest and wettest wine region!

We flew into Porto airport and started our Vinho Verde wine tour in the south of the region, with a visit to top wine estate Quinta das Arcas.

Read on to see what we discovered during our visit!

Also see our video here:

Vinho Verde’s sub region of Sousa:

Vinho Verde is a very diverse region, with each sub-region having different climates and terroirs.

The most well-known Vinho Verde region is probably Monção and Melgaço in the far north, which produces elegant, white wines from the Alvarinho grape variety.

Quinta das Arcas is located in the far south of Vinho Verde, north-east of Porto, in the region of Sousa.

The climate here is mild and fairly consistent - no incredibly cold winters, or incredibly hot summers. The amount of rainfall is below average for Vinho Verde. This can be explained by its location slightly inland, enough to protect it from strong Atlantic influences and not enough for it to be exposed to extreme temperatures.

Vinho Verde grapes in Sousa:

The main Vinho Verde white wine grape varieties include Arinto, Loureiro, Trajadura and Alvarinho, with some Azal and Avesso. Far less prominent are the red grape varieties of Borraçal and Vinhão, with some Amaral and Espadeiro (used for rosé wines). As for elsewhere in Vinho Verde, most white wines from this region are blends.

This is very much a fertile, agricultural region, fairly mountainous, with rolling hills, covered in forest and vineyards and rural villages.

For more information about the Vinho Verde wine region, see here.

Quinta das Arcas

Quinta das Arcas is a large, successful wine estate, located in the small village of Sobrado. Winemaking started here a century ago, influenced by its proximity to the famous wine city of Porto, before then cattle farming and agriculture were the main industries.

Quinta das Arcas was founded in the early eighties by Esteves Monteiro, after a decade spent reconstructing and modernising the family vineyards.  Prior to planting vineyards the family farmed grain. Today Esteves and his family - his wife, daughter and two sons - manage the estate, which includes 200 hectares in the Vinho Verde region. A bottling plant was opened on the site in 1985 and today the family produces about 5 million bottles of wine annually. This also includes the wines produced at the family’s vineyard, Herdade Penedo Gordo, in the Portuguese Alentejo wine region, some 400 kms south.  

Quinta das Arcas wines have received several high profile awards and are exported globally to approximately 40 different countries

Quinta das Arcas vineyards

When we arrived at Quinta das Arcas, our first impression was of a highly professional, modern, successful wine business - and we were keen to find out more! 

We were delighted therefore when our host for our visit, son Mario Rui Monteiro, took us on a tour of the 3 different Vinho Verde vineyards by jeep!

Quinta das Arcas: 

Immediately surrounding the family home in Sobrado, the bottling plant and winery, is the Quinta das Arcas vineyards - planted with more than 30 year old, high quality Loureiro, Trajadura, Alvarinho and Arinto vines.

Quinta da Gandra:

This is the largest vineyard, located 2 kms north of Quinta das Arcas - planted with Loureiro, Arinto and Alvarinho vines. With vineyards planted on slopes leading down to the Ferreira river, the sun exposure here is excellent.  

Quinta da Costa:

This 20 hectare vineyard is located in Sobrado on the left bank of the Ferreira river and is planted exclusively with Alvarinho grape vines. 

A sustainable approach

The family has focused on producing top quality wines through its determined focus on the health of its vines across the different vineyards. Its approach to farming and winemaking is 100% sustainable. Sustainability is extremely important to the family, not just because of the impact on the quality of its wines, but also because of a desire to minimise the impact on the environment. High levels of humidity mean that an organic approach is highly challenging in this region, however in the warmer Alentejo region, they have achieved organic certification.

Quinta das Arcas wines

The predominant grape variety at Quinta das Arcas, is Loureiro, which is ideally suited to the terroir here. The style is typically Vinho Verde, fresh, aromatic, with great acidity.

The Loureiro grapes are mostly blended with Arinto, Trajadura and Alvarinho grapes, but some single varietals are produced.

Quinta das Arcas brands

The range of Quinta das Arcas wines features several distinct wine brands:

• ‘Arca Nova’ was the first wine brand to be launched and includes a range of white blends and single varietals, a rosé and two red wines

• The Conde Villar range also includes whites, a rosé and red

• The above are the two main brands, the third, the ‘Quinta das Arcas’ range, features family selection wines

Quinta das Arcas cheese and olive oil

Quinta das Arcas produce the most amazing cheeses at their onsite dairy and you can taste these as part of a wine tasting. Olive oil is also produced at the Herdade Penedo Gordo estate in Alentejo where the family farm olive trees. 

Wine tourism

After having established the vineyards, the top quality of their wines, the onsite production process and a global customer base, the family is turning its attention to wine tourism opportunities at Quinta das Arcas.

There are already lots of wine tours and tastings to choose from, offering guided vineyard tours - by foot and by jeep - and wine tastings paired with local foods, including of course Quinta das Arcas cheeses.

There are also walking trails around the area to discover.

In addition, ideas are being discussed regarding opportunities for perhaps a restaurant and other exciting tour options, so we would say ‘watch this space’!

We asked the question whether there were any plans to offer any form of accommodation around the Vinho Verde vineyards, which many Portuguese wineries are now offering or considering. The response was that with the city of Porto so close by it wouldn’t be a priority, as many visitors are either passing through, perhaps to further explore the Vinho Verde region, or they are on a day trip from Porto and this is where they base themselves. We had to agree with this, vistitng Quinta das Arcas is so easy to combine with a stay in beautiful Porto. 

Wine shop

There is a wonderful shop at the Quinta das Arcas estate where you can browse and purchase all of the products.

Our Quinta das Arcas tour and visit

We spent an amazing time with Mario, discovering the different vineyard sites at Quinta das Arcas in Vinho Verde and hearing all about how the family has developed their vineyards and wines over the year and the exciting ideas they have for the future.

It certainly is a beautiful location and we would highly recommend you visit this top Vinho Verde wine estate for a tour and a tasting!

A special Quinta das Arcas wine tasting

We were extremely fortunate to conduct a very special tasting of some of the Quinta das Arcas wines, as we enjoyed lunch with Mario and his brother Antonio, prepared by their mother. It was wonderful to spend time with the family who were so generous with their time and so incredibly hospitable.

To begin, accompanied by some tasty appetisers, including local sausage, corn bread and some Quinta das Arcas cheese, we tried some of their natural sparkling, Pet Nat wine, which was absolutely delicious - really fresh, fruity and light, with fine bubbles.  

We then enjoyed tasting four of the Arca Nova wines: the Arca Nova Loureiro and the Arca Nova Alvarinho which paired really well with a wonderful soup and then the Arca Nova Rosé, made from the Espadeiro grape and the Arca Nova Vinhão red wine. These perfectly matched a fabulous roast chicken and potato dish - the red being light and fruity, typical of the Vinhão grape variety - an excellent gastronomic wine which can pair with lighter dishes.

What an amazing and enjoyable experience, wonderful wines, wonderful food and excellent company! Thank you to our hosts!  

Purchasing Quinta das Arcas wines

Quinta das Arcas wines are broadly available across the world.

In the UK, the family has a special contract with retail giant Marks & Spencer, producing their own label M&S Vinho Verde white and rosé wines. These wines offer excellent value and we can certainly vouch for and recommend them!

Travel tips for visiting Quinta das Arcas 

How to get to Quinta das Arcas

We would recommend you fly into Porto’s international airport and from here you can hire a car to drive to nearby Quinta das Arcas, north east of the city. It should take you approximately 30 minutes from the airport and maybe 45 minutes from the centre of the city. There are excellent road/motorway links to get you there. 

You could also look at travelling to the nearby town of Valongo by train or by bus and then getting a taxi.  

Address: Quinta das Arcas, Rua Quinta das Arcas s/n, 4440-392 Sobrado – Valongo

When to visit

Due the mild climate in this part of Vinho Verde it would be ideal to visit in the Spring and Summer, as well as the Autumn. We visited in early October and the weather was beautiful. 

Where to stay

As mentioned earlier we would recommend visiting Quinta das Arcas as a day trip from Porto, or to call in at the beginning or end of a Vinho Verde wine tour. 

Visiting Quinta das Arcas as part of a Vinho Verde wine tour

Quinta das Arcas was our first port of call on our Vinho Verde tour. A morning visit here meant we could travel north up the wine region of Basto and onto another tasting at 2pm.  Distances between major towns and wine regions are really quite small and travelling is really easy due to the excellent motorway network.

See here for more information about planning your Vinho Verde wine tour!

Visiting other wine regions - the Douro Valley and Trás-os-Montes

Porugal’s Vinho Verde region wine region is bordered to the east by the famous Douro Valley region and the lesser known Trás-os-Montes region. Both are within easy reach of Quinta das Arcas.

Douro Valley

If you have have never been to the Douro Valley, the home of Port wine, then perhaps combine a Vinho Verde tour with a visit to this most famous of wine regions. The Douro Valley is the most amazing place and as wine lovers who had never been before, our first trip here was truly memorable.  It is hard to find the words to describe how beautiful it is here, the scenery, the vineyards, the people, the history, the culture.

Read about our visit to the Douro here.

Trás-os-Montes

The region of Trás-os-Montes in the far north-easter corner of Portugal, bordering with Spain, is one of the most unspoiled areas of southern Europe. Trás-os-Montes means ‘Beyond the mountains’ and this accurately reflects its location, beyond the Marão, Alvão and Gerês mountains, which separate the coast with Portugal’s interior country. Once you travel through the mountains and explore Trás-os-Montes, you find one of Portugal’s most beautiful regions, with rapidly changing scenery, incredible local foods and wines and ancient traditions.

Read about our visit to Trás-os-Montes here

Visit the northern Portugal Atlantic coast - the Costa Verde

Many only consider there to be one coast in Portugal and that’s the Algarve in the south of the country - if so you’re missing out on the incredibly beautiful, rugged Atlantic coast, the Costa Verde. Having spent many years enjoying holidays on the central Portugal coast between Porto and Lisbon, we certainly recommend it. The coastline north of Porto is eaqually stunning, with lots of beautiful beaches and family-friendly resorts. See here for more information.

Follow the Romanesque Route

If you like your Romanesque architecture, then take time to follow the Romanesque route which is a tour covering 58 monuments located in the centre of a triangle whose vertices are World Heritage Sites: Porto, Guimarães and the Douro Valley.

For more ideas and information about visiting northern Portugal see ‘Visit Portugal’.

Conclusion and personal highlights

Quinta das Arcas is a great example of a successful Portuguese family wine estate, with its focus on making the best wines which have a global appeal, with a close eye on protecting the environment and finding new ways to share its wines and vineyards with visitors to the area. Exploring the vineyards by jeep was a wonderful experience and of course we were very fortunate to be able to tase the superb Quinta das Arcas wines over lunch. We would really recommend visiting Quinta das Arcas to sample the Vinho Verde wines and have a first-hand experience of this large and successful Vinho Verde wine estate.

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