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Region · Portugal
Douro
The Douro valley in northeastern Portugal is the home of Port.
The ancient Romans prized the juicy red wines from the steep banks of the Douro River, but centuries passed before the British transformed them into Port — what the book calls Britain's early version of central heating.
The famous Port firms were mostly begun by men with British names — Sandeman, Croft, Graham, Cockburn, Dow, Warre — and if Portugal is the mother of Port, Britain is certainly its father.
Key grapes
- Touriga Nacional
- climate
- hot, dry continental valley on steep river banks
- signature
- Port — fortified and sweet — plus increasingly serious dry Douro reds
- history
- fortification began as voyage stabilisation (~3% spirit); the 1820 vintage drove the modern sweet, fortified style
- name origin
- Oporto, at the mouth of the Douro ('golden river')
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