Grau Baumé

Grau Baumé

Winemakers often build an intimate bond with their piece of land. Not surprising when you depend on it for your livelihood. There is often also (family) heritage at play. This bond is evident in Ana Hespanhol’s winery. For instance, she talks about her vineyard as if it were an old, ‘wise’ man – her ‘Zimbro’. The old, wise vines are a reminder of how wine has been made in the region since long.

In 2015, Ana took over Quinta do Zimbro from her father, who, as a member of a winemaking family, bought the quinta in 2003. The quinta has some historical value, as sources indicate that port has been produced there since at least 1875. Ana’s father, Manuel Pinto Hespanhol, was once leader of a movement of independent winemakers who, during the 1980s, did their best to put the Douro Valley on the map as a region not just condemned to the endless production of port wine.  

Luckily, Ana has enough knowledge, character and skill to continue this legacy at Quinta do Zimbro – albeit in her own idiosyncratic way. With her wines, she does not shy away from experimentation, risk and the use of intensive, manual methods. She stands for pure expression of grape and terroir and prefers not to rely on “make-up”, or additives that mask the grapes’ original characteristics.  

Within the 23-hectares vineyard, Ana works organically with indigenous grape varieties only. As for red grapes, these include Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Tinta Amarela. White grapes include Cerceal, Malvasia Fina, Rabigato and Gouveio. Together with her partner, Hugo Mateus, Ana makes wines under the label ‘Grau Baumé’ on the side. This label gives her the opportunity to explore a more unorthodox, contemporary style, so that nothing is lost in terms of tradition and legacy at Quinta do Zimbro.