Portugal The Vino Vixen Visits

Grapes of Douro

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:46:36 -0700

When sipping a Port, you are drinking the fruits of the Douro River Valley wine region. About 60 miles from the heart of Porto, this wine region runs along the Douro River. Just as Germany has her Rhine, and France has her Loire and Rhone, Portugal has her Douro. Portugal’s “quintas” (farms or vineyard estates) rise along the Douro River.

The Soil
The Douro is, on the surface, seemingly most inhospitable for growing grapes. The terrain is steep - almost vertical, and hilly making it necessary to hand-pick all grapes. No machinery here. In fact it would be virtually impossible to drive a tractor through the vineyards - the terraces were manually grated centuries ago and allow only about meter between rows. The soil - well, there is no soil. Its all granite and schist formed thousands of years ago. This terrain makes it a bit challenging for vines to drink their water, so their root systems penetrate up to 40 feet down for a sip. However, this is a good thing...since these vines have to really struggle for water, they direct all their energy into their grapes. And this means wonderful fruit concentration and growth.

The Growing Conditions
Another unique aspect of the region is its unbelievably different microclimates. Within a single vineyard the same grape variety will be wholly different based upon its sun exposure, slope placement, or elevation. A single Portuguese Quinta can have as much diversity as an entire wine region in other countries. This aspect, and the “soil” give Portugal a most distinct terroir or sense of place.

The Grapes
Lastly, not unique to the region is her vast number of indigenous grape varieties. An astounding 80 varieties are permitted in the Douro Valley alone (for DOC designation). I’ll go into some of the major ones in my next update.

Portugal

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:33:40 -0700

Geography 101
Portugal is in the European Iberia Peninsula bordered by Spain and the Atlantic Ocean. It’s the westernmost country of mainland Europe. Although Portuguese is the native and official language, English is widely spoken. Her capital and largest city is Lisbon - 185 miles south of Porto. Portugal is a member of the European Union and hence, uses the Euro as it’s currency. Our dollar is sinking to new lows daily against the Euro - at time of writing its about 1.4-1. The American dollar to them is like a Mexican peso to us.

History 101
Portugal won its independence from Moorish Spain in 1143, but In 1581, Philip II of Spain invaded Portugal and held it for 60 years. Signs of military decline began with two disastrous battles: the Battle of Alcácer Quibir in Morocco in 1578 and Spain's abortive attempt to conquer England in 1588 (Portugal contributed ships to the Spanish invasion fleet). The country was further weakened by the destruction of much of its capital city in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars and the loss of its largest colony, Brazil, in 1822. In 1910, there was a revolution that deposed the monarchy; however, the subsequent republic was unable to solve the country's problems. Amid corruption, repression of the Church, and the near bankruptcy of the state, a military coup in 1926 installed a dictatorship that remained until another coup in 1974. In 1986, Portugal entered the European Economic Community and joined the Euro in 1999.

Getting There
I’m not a travel writer, so this will be short and sweet. I took Lufthansa all the way from DC into Porto, transferring from Frankfurt. If you’re looking to save some $$ (and why wouldn’t you-save your cash for your wine stash), look into getting a cheap flight into London, Paris, or Brussels then book Porto separately with Ryanair.

Porto

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 05:49:17 -0700

Porto (or Oporto) is the second largest city in Portugal - home to the famous Port lodges. Although Porto is most known for Port, their table wines are the stellar values to be had now. And those Vino Vixen Values are the subject of this article...

Porto is lives next to the famed Douro River and is nestled among the Douro, Dao, and Vinho Verde areas, representing the significant wine regions of the zone. Others are also fairly close, but I’ll be discussing Douro and Vnho Verde here. Each are within a few hours from the city of Porto - making Porto the perfect home base for exploring these wine regions.

The historic city center of Porto is called Ribeira - so beautiful and well preserved that it’s been declared a World Heritage Site by the UN. Some homes in this area date back to the 15th Century - although oddly, very few are well cared for. Most stand proudly crumbling with clothes hanging from their ancient windows, and graffiti defacing their facades. Even so, Porto is a gorgeous city.

I stayed at the Infante Sagres, the only five star hotel in the old section of town. The hotel was a 10 minute walk to the river, and 5 minutes from the major shopping area (which is a pedestrian only street). The sidewalks and streets are all inlaid stone (like in Rome) and will chew up and spit out a pair of heels in one block. Don’t make my mistake - bring walking shoes with you.

Cafes are plentiful, with seafood as the main fare. Salted cod is on every menu. Oddly, wine is rarely offered by the glass - most lists are exclusively by the bottle offerings.

Douro River Valley

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:10:20 -0700

To Be Continued

Sun, 9 Mar 2008 22:28:45 -0700