Altano

THE HISTORY 

Altano is produced by the Symington family, known for their long and distinguished history of producing premium Vintage Ports in the Douro, under such labels as Graham's, Warre's, Dow's and Quinta do Vesuvio. As a natural extension of their interest in and dedication to making Port, the Symingtons began producing Douro DOC table wines seriously in 1999, applying their skill and expertise to ensure that the results reflect their tradition of making the worlds finest wines. Today seven members of the Symington family are involved in the business, personally managing all aspects of winemaking from the vineyard to the final bottling of the wines. 

THE PHILOSOPHY

 In a region where producers have historically relied on buying grapes, generations of Symington winemakers have put vineyard ownership at the heart of the family’s winemaking philosophy. The family are strong believers in the Douro’s indigenous grape varieties and producing quality wines that showcase the uniqueness of the region, its terroirs, and natural flavors and aromas. All Symington vineyards are managed under sustainable viticulture practices, which aim for minimum intervention in order to protect and promote biodiversity, and the family farm is the largest organic vineyard in the Douro (275 acres). The philosophy of minimum intervention is also followed in the winery, with small batches of grapes being carefully handled with the use of modern technology to safeguard and maximize quality.

THE WINES

Altano red wines are produced solely with grapes from Symington vineyards. Altano white wines receive some white grapes from selected farmers with vineyards in higher altitude areas, whom the family have been working with since the early 1900s. Every year the family winemakers are challenged to produce wines that provide a unique expression of the family’s tapestry of vineyards, selecting the most suitable grapes for each wine depending on that year’s conditions and characteristics. In a region of 21,400 farmers who have an average of just five acres each, the Symington’s 26 vineyards are an exceptional guarantee of quality, allowing the Symington viticulture and winemaking teams a level of control and choice that is unique in the region and that is reflected in the outstanding quality of Altano wines. Grapes for DOC wines are harvested up to a week earlier than those for making Port, in order to preserve their natural freshness, ideal levels of acidity, and to avoid excessive alcoholic strength. The grapes are vinified in the Symington family’s state-of-the-art Douro DOC winery at Quinta do Sol, where they are subjected to a thorough selection process. After a light crushing, the selected grapes are released from above (a gravity-fed system) into the fermentation vats. This ensures that the berries reach the vats in optimal condition, preserving all their natural properties while reducing the risk of rough-edged tannins to a minimum. Altano red wine is then transferred into 225, 300, or 400 liter seasoned French and American oak casks where it is aged for a minimum of four months in the Symington family’s cellars. Altano Organic and Altano Reserva are aged partially in new French and American oak casks respectively.