(TDB) - Dramatic landslides and heavy rainstorms have brought mixed results from the Douro in a year that Symington Family Estates’ managing director Paul Symington has dubbed “The Year of the Fox”.

Conceding that 2014 was “a challenging year in the Douro”, Symington pointed to a very wet winter that brought 44% more rain than the region’s average – welcome news for the vines, but less helpful for those replanting vineyards on the Douro Valley’s steep slopes.

Coupled with mild spring conditions, the wet winter encouraged early budbreak, but this was followed by what Symington described as “unsettled” weather during early summer, culminating in a “huge rainstorm”, which hit parts of the Douro on 3 July.

With more than 80mm falling on the area around Pinhão within a few hours, he reported: “This caused extraordinary damage, flooding the local railway station and precipitated an avalanche of rock and mud that destroyed the car of a well-known winemaker in the village.”

After the damage from this storm had been cleared up, the region enjoyed cool conditions throughout August. “In fact,” admitted Symington, “we all began to think of 2007, when an equally cool August delivered some stupendous quality grapes to our wineries.