I must say Portuguese red wines are plentiful and delicious, so with no intent to exclude any, the Douro region’s reds are unique. The same grapes used for making Port produce dry (no detectable sweetness), age-able, world-class red wines that can stand alongside Napa, Bordeaux, and Burgundy.
Portugal has three distinct climates, one in the coastal north, where it’s lush and green, and another along the coast that turns into a Mediterranean climate tempered by the Atlantic Ocean. The third is a continental climate on the eastern side of the mountains towards Spain.
The Douro wine region of northern Portugal takes its name from the Douro river, which flows east to west from the Spanish border through the mountains to Porto’s city on the Atlantic Ocean. The Douro wine region lies inland upriver from Porto, where the winters are cold, and the summers are hot; this makes for high acid, mature and ripe fruit, and great wine. The vineyards themselves cling to the rugged hillsides along the Douro river valley and its tributaries.
In times past, the wine was transported downriver to Porto from the wine estates or Quintas via flat-bottomed boats called Barcos Rabelos. The wine, including Port, was blended and stored in Porto or across the river in the city of Vila Nova de Gaia. Today most of the wine is blended onsite at the estates and transported by trucks, not very romantic, but safer and more efficient, I suppose.
The Douro wine region has been awarded Portugal’s highest quality classification as a Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC). Beyond Port, the area produces multiple wine styles, from light red Bordeaux-like blends to beautiful oak-aged wines and whites. Like their French and American counterparts, the higher-end red Douro wines can age from ten to twenty years.
The grapes used for Port and Douro’s dry wine are virtually unknown and unused outside of Portugal, except for one, Tinta Roriz, aka Spain’s Tempranillo. Like Italy, Portugal’s best and most representative wines use their indigenous grapes to great success. Something to be proud of if you ask me.
The three primary grapes used are Touriga National, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Roriz, while Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cao play supporting roles.
Touriga Nacional is the most highly regarded of all, and Touriga Franca is the most planted. When fermented dry and blended, these grapes have a wonderful synergy like a band, each one contributing its notes and style, resulting in harmony in a glass. Â
Touriga National brings structure with acid and tannin, with lush black fruit in blackberries, blueberries, and black currents. Touriga Franca adds floral, blackberry, and plum aroma and taste. Tinta Roriz adds red fruits, olive, and herbal aroma and taste. Tinto Roriz is the Portuguese name for the Tempranillo grape, the centerpiece grape of Spain’s Rioja wines and indigenous to Spain.  Â
As for enjoying Douro wines with food, roasted or stewed beef is a nice pairing. For cheese, goat cheese goes well, as do Cheddar, Gloucester, Muenster, aged Provolone, Parmesan, Pecorino, and smoked Gouda.
Special thanks to Armando Asencio, who supplied this article’s beautiful photos.
