The handsome old city of Porto, set on the banks of the Douro River, has a lot to offer the discerning visitor There is much to see in this fascinating city; the large UNESCO heritage listed medieval center is still largely intact. The city, well renovated and adorned with some grandiose baroque monuments and outstanding art galleries like the Serralves museum, offers some striking modern architecture too – world-famous architect Rem Koolhaas’ striking concert hall Casa de Música for example.

For centuries, Porto has been the center of the port wine trade; historic port lodges abound in the Gaia district of the city. Some of these lodges have beautiful azulejo tiled tasting rooms, where one can enjoy various styles of port wines. The city’s wine bars and restaurants, where both the stunning Douro table wines as well as port wines are served, are also never far away. As in any good wine growing culture, excellent food is also prevalent, and Porto’s gastronomical resources have been getting well deserved acclaim.

From Porto, follow the Douro river inland and you will discover a rural paradise with magnificent countryside: the Douro Valley. This area in particular may be Europe’s most spectacular wine region, offering the visitor stunning scenery. The deep gorge that the Douro has carved through soft slatey soils allows for dramatic vistas. The steep hillsides are covered from top to bottom with terraced vineyards. They are so steep that to this day grapes can only be handpicked.

Whilst the valley is historically famous as the producer of port wines, for the last 15 years some of Europe’s best unfortified table wines have also been made here. The best wine estates make both port and table wines and, in quite a few instances, the estate owners take their table wines more seriously than their port wines.

The vineyards are mostly planted with the local varieties like Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Amarella. Reflecting the dramatic variations in both the orientation and altitude of the land, the characters of the wines produced in neighbouring vineyards can be quite different. The style of the wines also varies enormously depending on the provenance of the grapes and the intentions of the winemaker – from Burgundian to schistose solidity.

There is a real air of excitement in the Douro Valley about this extraordinary terrain’s ability to express itself in such a diverse range of wine.  At the same time the leading wine makes in the region have been becoming more progressive, with many showing a keen focus on sustainability including cultivating vines organically. No wonder leading wine magazines like Wine Spectator have been given high marks to many Douro table wines regularly.