The Douro is Portugal’s most famous wine region. Although it’s mainly associated with Port Wine, the Douro is now also renowned for its fine, rich unfortified table wines, both red and white.

In 1756, the Douro became the world’s first demarcated wine region. It is a is a UNESCO world heritage site recognizing the long winemaking history of the region and the outstanding natural beauty of its landscapes

The grapes are grown on slopes with very steep gradients. The extreme climate of the Douro – cold wet winters and scorching hot summers where temperatures exceed 40 °C result in extremely low yields per hectare. Most of the grapes are still entirely hand-picked.
Douro Valley is probably the last of the world’s major wine regions still to be pressing significant quantities of its grapes by foot – in shallow, open wine-fermenters, called lagares.
The Douro’s wines – both still and fortified – can be made from more than 80 different grape varieties.
Main Red varieties (Douro’s Big 5) : Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo)
Main White varieties:  Malvasia Fina, Viosinho, Gouveio, and Rabigato.