The land

The Douro Valley snakes through northern Portugal from the Spanish border (where the river is called the Duero, see /encyclopedia/regions-encyclopedia/ribera-del-duero-encyclopedia/) west to the Atlantic at Porto. The vineyards are perched on terraced schist hillsides that drop dramatically to the river. The climate is extreme — hot dry summers, cold winters — and the terroir is one of the most physically demanding in serious wine. The Douro was the first demarcated wine region in the world, established in 1756 by the Marquês de Pombal to regulate the Port trade.

The sub-zones

Baixo Corgo (the westernmost, coolest sub-zone, lower-quality fruit). Cima Corgo (the historical heart — Pinhão, Tua, Vilariça — most of the great Port quintas are here). Douro Superior (the easternmost, hottest, driest zone — the source of much modern serious dry Douro wine). All three zones produce both Port and dry table wine, though the proportions differ by site.

Port

Vintage Port is made only in declared vintages — three to four years a decade for most houses. The wines are fortified with grape spirit during fermentation (stopping fermentation while sugar remains) and aged briefly in cask before bottling. They are built to age in bottle for decades — Vintage Ports from the 1960s and 1970s are still drinking remarkably. Other Port styles: Ruby (young, fresh, fruity), LBV (Late Bottled Vintage, an aged Ruby), Tawny (cask-aged 10, 20, 30, 40 years), Colheita (single-vintage Tawny), White Port (made from white grapes).

Dry Douro wines

The serious dry-wine revolution in the Douro began in the 1990s with producers like Niepoort, Quinta do Crasto, Quinta do Vesuvio, Wine & Soul, Quinta do Vallado, Quinta do Vale Meão. These wines use the same grapes traditionally destined for Port (Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão, see /encyclopedia/grapes-encyclopedia/touriga-nacional-encyclopedia/) but vinified dry, without fortification. The results are among the most exciting Iberian reds of the modern era.

Vintages to know

For Vintage Port: 2017, 2016, 2011, 2007, 2003, 2000, 1994, 1985, 1977, 1970, 1963, 1948. For dry Douro: 2019, 2017, 2016.

Producers we know

Port: Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca, Graham’s, Dow’s, Warre’s, Quinta do Noval (especially Nacional, from ungrafted vines), Niepoort, Quinta do Vesuvio. Dry Douro: Niepoort (especially Charme and Batuta), Quinta do Crasto, Wine & Soul, Quinta do Vale Meão, Quinta do Vallado.