Douro Valley, let yourself go

Douro Valley is the oldest demarcated wine regions in the world. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 2001. The river carved the deep valleys out of the land and then the growers transformed the schist mountains into soil and walls and planted the vines.

The name Douro comes from the river that flows through it “Douro River”, which travels from Spain and is known there as “Duero River”. The river flows from Spain to Portugal in Porto and empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

It is located in northern Portugal and is home to the famous port wine. Douro also produces some amazing dry red and white table wines made from native grape varieties which are super quality and easy on pocket.

The region is divided into 3 main sub-regions - Baixo Cargo, Cima Cargo and Douro Superior.

1. Baixa Corgo - lower Corgo is better suited for the delicious table wines. It is slightly more cooler and wetter than its cousin regions. More bulk and slightly lesser quality wines are made here.

2. Cima Corgo - central part of the region and most famous for the village of Pinhao. This is where the most high end vintage ports are made. It is the largest and accounts for almost half of the Valley’s total production.

3. Douro Superior - most inland sub-region. This is hottest and driest of the region and touches Spanish border. This is still expanding.

Map courtesy and credit to - Winefolly

Important to note:

Terraced vineyards are very common in the Douro region. Vineyards dedicated for Vintage port are usually on schist and closer to the river. These are some of the oldest vines. While, the table wine production is on granite-based soil.

Grapes Used in Douro Valley

Main grapes - Tinta Cao, Tinta Roriz (grown in Spain as Tempranillo), Touriga Francesa, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca.

Apart from the grapes following grapes are also used for table red/white wines - Viosinho, Malvasia Fina, Rabigato, Gouveio, Bastardo.

Our wishlist of Quintas to visit is below, we could not visit all of them but did have an amazing opportunity to visit a few:

• Quinta da Bonfim

• Quinta da Roeda (Croft)

• Quinta das Carvalhas

• Quinta da Portal

• Quinta Nova Nossa Senhora do Carmo

• Quinta do Vallado

• Quinta de La Rose

• Quinta do Crasto

• Quinta do Panascal

all pictures are taken by me and are meant for Travel & Wine account. #quintas @dourovalley #porto #portugal #europe #travel #itinerary #thingstodoindouro #Topthingsindourovalley #douro #letsgo #letgoyourself #planatrip