Quinta Vale D. Maria old vineyards are divided into different plots and each plot is harvested by hand. Grapes are selected before entering the winery. They are destemmed and then foot trodden in granite stone tanks, or lagares, 1 to 3 days before fermentation. Fermentation takes place in lagares and/or in stainless steel vats. In the lagares, the wines are trodden on foot every night. In the stainless-steel vats maceration occurs with manual pump over. The wines are pressed and placed into French-oak barrels, 225 liters, coming from various cooperages, where malolactic fermentation takes place. All wines then age for 21 months in French oak barrels, with the different batches obtained, from each fermentation, kept separate until the final blend is made, about one month before bottling.