A traditional field blend of mainly Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Barroca & Tinta Roriz. More recent plantings are in blocks, with a preference for Touriga Nacional and Tinta Cao from grade ‘A’ vineyards grown on steep, rocky sites. As with the Ports, Quinta de la Rosa's wines begin life in the granite lagares, under the feet of the treaders. After a few hours of super-extraction, the must is moved into stainless steel vats for temperature-controlled fermentation. This lasts about one week, with a second week of post-fermentation maceration, still in vat. Aging lasts 6 to 9 months, in a mixture of French and Portuguese oak barrels.

The best Douro grapes have traditionally been reserved for Port production, and only surplus stock used to make 'table' wine. For this reason, the 'table' wines of the Douro, and of Portugal in general, have not enjoyed a good reputation, with the exception of one or two rarities. But it is not difficult to see the potential for real quality (particularly red wines) in the Douro Valley - excellent soils on steep slopes, ideal climate, exciting native grape varieties - if only producers could spare the good grapes. Tim Bergqvist, and his daughter Sophia, were the first to see this potential and understood that it accorded perfectly with consumer demand patterns that were shifting away from traditional fortified styles. Their estate, Quinta de la Rosa, was one of the first single estates to take advantage of a relaxation in the regulations forbidding direct exportation by Douro growers. At the same time as establishing their range of single estate Ports, they launched red and white Douro wines that achieved both quality and value for money.