1880 Facts about Port and Madeira by Henry Vizetelly

Contents.

—Treading tie Grapes—Vintagers bronglt from remote parts—Their Pay, Food, and Sleeping Accommodation—The Casa dos Lagares and Adega of the Quinta Sth H.—Bitting New Wine. A Toub of Inspection. We Eeoross the Douro—A Eido in the Darlcto the Qninta dos Arregadas—A Homing Levee of Neighhouring Farmers—Testingtheir Samples of Wine —Generally impoverished condition of the Alto Douro;Wine-Growers— Terms upon which the Wine is purchased—Start on an Excursion np the Douro—The Eoads mere Bridie-Paths and Bullock-Tracks—Visit a (Quinta in the famous Eoriz District—Mode of taking a Sample of the Eew Wine—Vintage Quarters of a well-to-do Douro Farmer—Eido on to the Quinta do Caedo—Its owner an ancient adherent of Queen Dona Maria—Treading the Grapes to a tinkling Guitar—An Alto Douro Lun cheon—Some of the luxuries composing it 3B' m.—How Poet Wine is Made. The Quinta do Seixo—Its commodious and well-arranged Casa,Lagares,and Adega—Vintagers Singing the popular ditty "Marianinha"—Prevalence of Celtic,Jewish,and Moorish facesamong them—TheWomen frequently decked out in heavy Jewelry—The Casa dos Lagares of the Quinta -A gang of Sixty Treaders at Work—They sing and shout to encourage the weak and lazy—Are accompanied hy Dmm,Fife, Fiddle, and Guitar- Nips of Brandy and Cigarettes served round—The first Treading, the "Sovar o vinho," or Beating the Wine,is completed—Interval of rest^ Treading resumed in a listless fashion—Music loses its Inspiration and Authority its Terrors—Fermentation of the Mosto—The Wine is run off into the Tonels—Clearsitselfin the Cold Weather—Is Backed into Pipes and sent down to the Wine-hoats—The Alto Douro Bullock-carts and their unearthly"Childreda"—Loading the Wine-hoats—The Kapids they encounter on the Voyage to Oporto—Slrilfulness of the Steersmen- Characteristics of the Douro Boatmen—Their Tod when Ascending the Eiver . - 48- rv.—Some Pinhao Quintas—An Upper Dottbo Village— Lovely Woman in the Lagar. The Quinta Amarella and Casal de Loivoa—So-called Rougliin^? it in an Alto Douro Quinta—The Village of Pinhao aud its principn-l Features Excursion to the Quinta do Noval—Magnificent View from its Upper- Heights—Its Lagares and Modem Presses—Ravages of the Phylloxera- SomeAlto DonroWine made withoutadded Spirit—Wefollow the^urse of the Pinhao—Distance lends enchantmentto the View of an Alto Donro Village-;-Closer Acquaintance dissipates the Illusion—The Casa Grande of Celleiros—Senhor Arnaldo's Douro Quintas—His new Adega one or ^e finestin the Alto Douro—The Red and White Wines of Celleiros—-A Visitat Night-time toa neighhouring Lagar—A party of W^omen Treaders having a merry time of it—They Dance upon the Grapes with the frenzy of Wild Bacchantes 3/, V.—A Toer to some Famoxts Quintas on the Poubo and the Eio Tobto—^The Cachao da Valleiea. From Celleiros to the Costa do Eoncao—A party of Lagariros taking their Bepose—The Quintas of Eoncao,Dona Eosa,Jordao,Eoraaneira, Serrao, Liceiraa.and Malheiros—OtherQuintas higher upthe Douro—TheQuinta. do Bonz and its onginal Plantation by an entbnsiastio Scotch Sportsman,