From the handsome old city of Porto, Porto, follow the Douro river inland and you will discover the magnificent countryside of the Douro Valley. This area may well be Europe’s most spectacular wine region, offering the visitor stunning scenery.

The deep gorge that the Douro has carved through soft salty soils allows for dramatic vistas. 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 decade some of Europe’s best table wines have also been made here. The best wine estates make both port and table wines and, in a few instances, the estate owners take their unfortified 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. These days grapes are frequently cultivated organically, with a keen focus on sustainability.

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. The Bordelaise have been moving in, buying vineyards or setting up joint ventures with some of the local estates. No wonder that the leading wine magazines like Decanter and Wine Spectator have been given high marks to a number of Douro wines.