Taylor Fladgate's vineyard Quinta de Vargellas was acquired in 1893 and is now a Class A vineyard.

However, the wine which represents the quintessence of the terroir of Vargellas is the rare Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintage Port, made in very small quantities from the very oldest vines on the property.

The original part of Quinta de Vargellas forms a vast north facing amphitheatre of terraced vineyard towering above the River Douro. Clustered at its centre are the house and winery, as well as the estate’s own railway station.

On the steep slopes to the west of the winery rise the dry stone walls of the oldest terraces on the property, which form part of the ‘Vinha Velha’ or Old Vineyard. Along one of these ancient terraces runs one of the two narrow roads leading into the estate. It is from this precarious vantage point that visitors arriving by road catch their first glimpse of the estate buildings.

Downstream from the original part of the property is a second magnificent semicircular sweep of vines. This is the recently planted São Xisto vineyard laid out using the technique of vinha ao alto or vertical planting. The two parts of the estate are separated by a ridged promontory jutting out into the river and crowned by a pagoda-like structure known as the Ruby Folly, built to mark the ruby wedding anniversary of the company’s Chairman, Alistair Robertson, and his wife Gillyane.