Casal Garcia was born in a year in which the vintage was particularly good. Returning by train from the grape harvest in the Douro, the French oenologist Eugène Hélisse decided to interrupt his journey to Oporto after passing the vines of the Quinta da Aveleda, in Penafiel. Dressed in white, and with a straw hat to ward off the heat of the end of summer, he began to walk toward the property’s cellar. He went in, introduced himself, and insisted on speaking to the owner, Roberto Guedes. What he had seen minutes before from the window of the train was truly special: the vines were beautifully cared for and the land was divided according to grape variety, everything in French style.