Douro

The borders of the Duoro region in Portugal were defined in 1756 by the prime minister at the time, Marquis de Pombal (1699-1782), in order to protect the authenticity of port wine. This makes it one of the oldest protected regions of origin in the world. In addition, Pombal ordered the uprooting of vineyards to the south, in what is today the DOC region Bairrada, because wine produced there was being exported to England as port wine. The region is named after the river of the same name, which arises in Spain under the name of Duero river. The borders of the region applied only to port wine for more than two centuries, they were only extended to „normal“ red and white wines in 1979 (as table wines) and then again in 1982 (as DOC). The official name for the DOC region is Porto e Douro. The grape varieties are essentially the same as for port wine, the most important red varieties are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), the most important white varieties are Gouveio (Verdelho), Malvasia Fina and Viosinho. However, the best slate soils are reserved for the production of port wine, these wines are grown on other soils, e.g. granite, etc. Depending on the quality of the vintage, around half the production from the port wine vineyards is also processed as normal wine. A commission selects the best five or six wines each year, and awards them the Grande Escolha (grand selection) designation. Among the best-known producers are Bright Brothers, Ferriera (with the famous red wine Barca Velha), Messias, Niepoort, Quinta da Gaivosa, Quinta da Côtto, Quinta da Crasto, Quinta de la Rosa, Quinta de Passedouro, Quinta do Vale de Raposa, Ramos Pinto (owned by Louis Roederer) and Real Companhia Velha.