A world-famous dessert wine from Portugal, known as ‘Vinho do Porto’ or simply ‘Porto’, which is not named after its region of origin, the Douro, but after the port city of Porto, from where it is shipped. The English played a key role in its development, linked to their trade wars with France. In the 17th century, the import of French wines into England was banned for a time and subsequently subject to high customs duties. This led to a shortage in supply. In 1678, a wine merchant from Liverpool sent his two sons to Viano do Castello, near the town of Porto, to buy wine.

In Lamego, they visited a monastery where the abbot served them a wine which they found delightful. The abbot revealed to them the secret of why this wine was so pleasantly sweet and smooth: it was due to the addition of brandy – that is, spirits – during fermentation. The two men then bought up the entire stock, sent the consignment to England, and the triumphant rise of port wine – initially known as ‘Red Portugal’ – began.

British influence

A key factor in the port wine boom was the Methuen Treaty, concluded in 1703, which provided for tariff concessions on the import of Portuguese wines into England. At that time, port was intended almost exclusively for export to England, which is why it is still known today as ‘Englishmen’s Wine’. Back then, it was still common practice to add red elderberry juice as a colouring agent.

From the early 18th century, English, German and Dutch families settled in Porto to market port wine. Among them were names that still play a key role in production and/or trade today, such as Cockburn, Croft, Ferreira, Niepoort, Sandeman, Taylor’s, as well as the firms Dow, Graham and Warre, which were later taken over by Symington. In 1790, the British trading houses built the Factory House in Porto, which initially served as a trading post and, from 1811 until the present day, has functioned as a gentlemen’s club and social hub. The English effectively established a monopoly on the trade.

Marquês de Pombal

Under Prime Minister Marquês de Pombal (1699–1782), owner of a vineyard in Carcavelos, the boundaries of the Douro region were defined in 1756 to protect port wine. Only the finest vineyards were included within these boundaries. Of the approximately 250,000 hectares of land, only around one-eighth is suitable for port grape varieties.

The region is thus, alongside Chianti in Tuscany (Italy), one of the oldest legally defined wine-growing regions in the world. Pombal introduced further measures to protect port wine. As a key measure to break the English monopoly, he founded the ‘Real Companhia Velha’. He also banned the addition of elderberry juice and the use of manure as fertil iser. Whilst this reduced yields, it improved quality.

Port wine region

For over two centuries, the defined boundary applied exclusively to port wine. The name ‘Vinho do Porto’ is derived from the city of Porto, situated on the lower reaches of the River Douro. It was not until 1979 that the DOC classification was extended to include unsweetened red and white wines. The best soil, however, is reserved for port wine; this consists primarily of the most suitable schist soils on mostly terraced slopes. The region is situated in north-western Portugal and encompasses the valleys of the River Douro and its tributaries as far as the Spanish border. These watercourses have a positive effect on viticulture and create the necessary conditions by forming the valley slopes.

Baixa Corgo, Cima Corgo and Douro Superior

The ‘Baixa Corgo’ (Lower Corgo) zone in the west encompasses the area north of the Douro between Barqueiros and the west bank of the Corgo, and south of the Douro as far as Armamar. This is the coolest and wettest zone, producing lighter wines. The largest zone, ‘Cima Corgo’ (Upper Corgo), lies to the north and south of the Douro, stretching from Baixa Corgo in the west to Cachão da Valeira in the east. The area centred on the town of Pinhão is considered the finest; this is where most Port wine houses have their quintas (estates). The ‘Douro Superior’ zone lies to the east and extends as far as the Spanish border in the north. This is the smallest and driest area, and parts of it are not yet fully utilised.

Vineyards and grape varieties

Across some 33,000 hectares of vineyard, 30,000 winegrowers cultivate around 80,000 plots classified using a complex system. The assessment criteria are location, slope (the steeper, the better), aspect, altitude,microclimate, vine training, grape variety, planting density, general condition of the vineyard, age of the vines, soil type (schist, granite, stone content) and yield. There are six grades, ranging from A (1,200 points and above) to F (below 400 points).

This determines the yield that the estate (Quinta) is permitted to produce. The better the rating, the higher...