When he left Quinta do Noval in 1993, Cristiano van Zeller wanted to concentrate on making wines and Ports produced exclusively from grapes grown at Single Quintas in the Douro. This was a project that he began, very successfully, at Quinta do Crasto in 1994, where van Zeller managed all aspects of production. However, making his own wines soon became the priority and in 1995 van Zeller acquired Quinta do Vale da Mina, followed by Quinta do Vale Dona Maria a year later. The Vale Dona Maria is an old-vine quinta located in the Rio Torto Valley in the heart of DO Douro. The purchase and long-term leasing of neighbouring land means that the vineyard is expanding, though van Zeller firmly believes that it is important to maintain the character of each individual hectare in the production process. Modernity and tradition sit together equally well in the winery, where van Zeller has built 5 granite stone lagares for foot treading of the wines as well as 14 temperature controlled stainless steel tanks.