Quinta do Noval declares 2012 vintage

The traditional date for Port houses to declare their vintages is the 23rd April, but Qunita do Noval has just declared their 2012 vintage in July. Noval has often made eccentric decisions including declaring 2 years in a row in 2007 and 2008 as well as in 2003 and 2004. Their philosophy is if they feel they have a wine of the necessary quality, style and character of a classic Quinta do Noval vintage they will declare it.

With the 2012 vintage only 1000 cases were produced following a stringent grape selection during harvest. 2011 was touted by many Port houses as the best vintage for a generation, but Quinta do Noval feels the 2012 will stand out in the line up. They also announced the 2004 Quinta do Noval Vintage Nacional last month. This was officially declared in 2006 at the normal time but they decided to hold it back until now.