Douro Valley (Alto Douro) is a place of dramatic landscapes, terraced vineyards, whitewashed estates and quintas (country homes).
Most visitors are drawn to Portugal for its sun, sea and sand, along with Lisbon’s historical sites. But the country offers an astonishing variety of landscapes, with none more remarkable than the Rio Douro ( River of Gold ), A river that cuts across northern Portugal from the Spanish border to the Atlantic Ocean. Its kilometres of stunning terraced vineyards were designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in December 2001. To fully experience the Douro Valley,head upstream to the Alto Douro (Upper Douro) wine region. The grapes for port are grown in these upper reaches of the river valley. Curve after curve of hills unfold along the river, lined with terraces carved out from the hillside.
The Alto Douro is the world's oldest formally demarcated wine region, its limits were defined in 1756 by the reforming minister known to posterity as the Marquess of Pombal. Some of the original stone markers can still seen at the prize-winning winery Quinta Nova da Nossa Senhora do Carmo, one of dozens of local quintas (estates) where you can dine or stay in charming and authentic surroundings.While the port wine industry remains strong, local grapes are now also being used to make fine red and white table wines. Rich and powerful, they vie with the wine world’s top selections. Still, no one goes to the Douro without tasting Port. Naturally, every option is here, straight from the quinta—a Port lover’s heaven. Try the late-bottled vintages (LBVs), vintages, the tawny variations (golden-brown from aging in wood for 10–40 years) and the rare vintage-dated colheitas—there’s no experience that can compare to tasting a Port older than you are! All the Port and table wines are products of some of Portugal’s finest native grape varieties: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca are among the best.
Most of the large estates lie on almost completely vertical slopes; so with good reason the land is said to be amongst the toughest to cultivate in the world. But the valley has a perfect climate for growing grapes, cherries and olives. There are also almond and cork trees. The weather is hot and dry in the summer, cold and wet in winter. Thanks to humid air, fertile soil and schist rock to keep the fruit warm at night, grapes thrive here. In times gone by the farmers used the river to transport their wine down river to Porto.Because Porto was a major port city, and this is where they shipped it from, "Port wine" gained its name.
