Making port in Portugal

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This article was published 07/05/2011 (5317 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AS our taxi drove along the ridge of a steep hillside overlooking the vineyard’s narrow terraces, it was apparent the grapes would soon be ready for picking.

Scanning the horizon, I could see our boat far below, tied to the shore of Portugal’s Douro River. Looking upriver toward the Spanish border, the hillsides were dotted with port-wine houses, graperies, churches and small villages for as far as the eye could see. It was a breathtaking sight.

Carrying on, we finally arrived at the renowned Penascal Vineyard. We were greeted by Sonia Moreira, a friendly and enthusiastic employee with the winery. Keen to show us the traditional port production process that is still widely utilized in many of the local quintas or wine estates, she led us to a building that housed several large, stone tanks, known as lagares.

Sonia explained: In the coming weeks, these tanks would be used by teams of barefoot treaders, marching in unison through the night — often accompanied by music — to lovingly crush the plantation’s grapes.

Her comments took me by surprise in that I assumed that mechanical crushing, or the use of robotic stompers, was the norm in most places. But the Douro Valley is one of the last regions where a number of port producers still employ people to crush their grapes. It’s an important part of our tradition, she said, but there are other practical benefits as well.

She described how the soft and pliable sole of one’s foot doesn’t crush the bitter seeds. Just as importantly she added, with great conviction (and perhaps a twinkle in her eye), the gentle tread of the picker’s feet gradually extract the rich colour and tannins from the grape skins, fortifying the wine with additional character and producing an exquisite bouquet.

Moments later, after sampling seven or eight of their finest vintages, my wife and I were in complete agreement with her assessment.

Our trip to this remarkable part of Europe had begun a week earlier in Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city located on the country’s northern coast. While the city boasts more than 300,000 inhabitants, it has the feel of a smaller town. Many of its streets are lined with outdoor cafés along with ancient sections of Roman walls and attractive terraced houses that carpet the nearby hillsides. The Douro River also remains a defining feature as it winds its way under a number of arching bridges that connect both sides of the city.

One place not to be missed here is the mouth of the Duoro, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. This is an attractive and historic setting to explore on an afternoon stroll. It’s also frequented by many of the town’s elders, who gather daily in large numbers to play cards and, of course, drink port.

After a couple of enjoyable days in Porto, we boarded the Duoro Queen, a beautiful boutique river boat operated by Uniworld. We then set off on a river journey that would ultimately take us to the Spanish border and back.

As we boated upriver in the late afternoon autumn light, the sun’s glow gave the river a beautiful flaxen colour, which according to one local legend, is why the Duoro is called the river of gold.

Still others say the nickname stems from the days when flat-bottomed boats plied the river with their golden cargo of port.

Whatever the origins of the name, the river was clearly deserving of such a glowing description.

Almost 900 kilometres in length, the Douro travels through some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe, including the world’s oldest demarcated wine region. Travelling the valley by river allows one to get a unique, more realistic view of this lesser known part of Portugal and I never tired of scanning the shoreline as we passed centuries-old palaces, sprawling monasteries and ancient manors. Villages dotted the hillsides and many of the valley’s smaller settlements had retained a wonderful aura of almost medieval simplicity.

But of course, it was the region’s many vineyards (quintas) and port houses that would often dominate the landscape. To this day, virtually all of the world’s port production comes from the Douro Valley. We were also fascinated to learn that the creation of this rich red wine was actually an accident of history that goes back to the late seventeenth century.

During that time, relations between Britain and France had soured. As a result, the British looked for an alternative supplier of wine and discovered those of the Douro Valley were to their taste. They began importing thousands of casks but quickly realized they had to fortify the wine with brandy to stop the fermentation process during the lengthy boat trip to England. The naturally sweet wine that resulted became an instant hit throughout Europe.

To Uniworld’s credit, our trip was well organized and included numerous stops and ample time to fully explore the valley. In the village of Bitetos, for example, we indulged in a country-style dinner at a remarkable 14th century Benedictine monastery. In the hamlet of Regua, we explored the impressive Baroque Mateus Palace, the image of which is featured on all Mateus wines. Within the palace grounds is one of the most beautiful gardens in the world; given my wife’s interest in gardening, this was an especially memorable stop.

While visiting the town of Pinhao, the epicentre of the wine-making area, we took a short drive to the picturesque medieval hamlet of Castelo Rodrigo. This ancient walled city, with its 65 inhabitants, is tucked away on a hillside seemingly removed from civilization.

There was also a scheduled visit to a large quinta to learn more about the history of the country’s most celebrated beverage while also sampling different port varieties, an activity that was becoming increasingly frequent as the trip progressed.

During one of our vineyard visits, I noticed that the soil, comprised largely of thin-layered rocky slate, appeared overly dry. When I asked about it, our guide said that the vine roots will often burrow down 15 to 25 metres in search of water. In addition, the rocky slate heats up in the day but retains much of its warmth through the night, providing consistent warm temperatures around the clock; ideal for the development of port grapes.

Reaching the Spanish border, we soon found ourselves touring Salamanca, a UNESCO world heritage city. We were keen to see the city’s historic university and, over lunch, took in a fabulous flamenco show at a local restaurant. We later strolled the cobblestone streets, where my wife caught a glimpse of a boy darting past on a bicycle carrying a pig on his back. Instinctively, I grabbed my camera and set off in hot pursuit, finally getting a photo three blocks away.

Before we knew it, it was time to turn the boat around and head back to Porto. On the way, we were able to explore several villages and sights we missed during the upriver part of the journey. In addition though, these last few days provided an opportunity to totally absorb the special experience of boating along the Duoro.

By this time, we had become enamoured with the area’s beauty and its cultural authenticity. The Douro Valley is different from other better known wine regions in that its seductive charms tend to sneak up on you in a quiet, subtle way.

Yet, while tourism along the Douro remains in its infancy, a special buzz around the area is beginning to permeate through the international tourism community.

Until recently, this remote part of northern Portugal was better known as a sleepy getaway for city dwellers from Lisbon or Porto. But these days, the Duoro is rapidly becoming a leading player on Europe’s fashionable wine trail.

— Postmedia News

IF YOU GO

Uniworld (www.uniworld.com) is rated by Conde Nast as one of the world’s best river cruise companies specializing in small ships. They operate on the Douro from June to October, although September is usually considered to be peak season. All-inclusive 12-day tours, including a stop in Lisbon and the river cruise, start at around US$2,600. Flights to Portugal often go through Lisbon, which can be easily reached from London or Frankfort. Lufthansa Airlines also has a direct flight from Frankfort to Porto.