Francisco Olazabal

The Path

The role of president at A.A. Ferreira enterprise ran through 1998, and Francisco Olazabal used that span to build a base in leadership before moving fully into production. Since 1998, the work has centered on Quinta do Vale Meão, where he has served as winemaker and owner. “Quinta do Vale Meão was an estate created by my great-great-grandmother, Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira.” Francisco has said.

The Work Today

The estate work is practical rather than ceremonial: red wines from a single Douro property in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, shaped through methods that stay tied to place. The dated bottlings show that approach in two forms. Quinta do Vale Meão 2022 is the estate’s flagship Douro red under Francisco Olazabal’s name. Quinta do Vale Meão Douro 2011 is a Douro red made with both traditional foot treading and modern winemaking techniques.

Signature

Francisco's signature wines include Quinta do Vale Meão 2022 and Quinta Do Vale Meão Douro 2011.

In Their Words Quinta do Vale Meão traces to an estate created by Francisco Olazabal’s great-great-grandmother, Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira. In his own words, she was the first person to seriously invest in vineyards in the Douro.

Acclaim

The recognition attached to Olazabal’s work stays with the wines themselves. The 2022 flagship carries his name on a current Douro red from the estate, while the 2011 bottling makes the mix of lagares and modern cellar practice explicit in an earlier vintage. For readers working in Portuguese wine, the reference points are clear: Quinta do Vale Meão, the Douro, inherited vineyard history, and cellar decisions that remain concrete in the finished wine.