Quinta do Bomfim, located in the heart of the Upper Douro in Portugal, has been the home of the Symington family’s winemaking for five generations. While it would have been easy for them to rest on their past successes with Dow’s Ports, instead they have made the quinta a center for modernization and excellence, with plenty for visitors to discover.

The winery and cellars are housed in a grand old lodge built in 1896, which has pioneered the use of modern wine-making techniques. In 2015, a new facility was opened nearby dedicated to a cutting-edge system of mechanical lagares. With the use of additional paddle plungers and rotating paddles, this contemporary winery is capable of extracting color, flavor, and tannins from grapes with an exacting level of control, producing top-quality wines.

Innovation is also happening in the vineyards, with a series of experimental sites used to investigate the region’s micro-terroirs and cultivate 31 different types of grapes, the majority of which are indigenous to Portugal. This gives the Symington family the largest collection of native varieties in Portugal, which not only helps to promote and preserve the country’s oenological identity but also helps to safeguard the industry against the perils of climate change.

During a winery tour, visitors will learn about this initiative and see the lagares in action. The tour starts in the original building’s miniature museum, where visitors can see photographs and documents from the early twentieth century providing a snapshot of how the region used to look. After the museum, visitors head out into the vineyards to see how things stand today. The tour concludes with a Port and tonic on the sun-filled terrace, with views of the gleaming Douro River in front and the mountainous vineyards all around.