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...The River Douro rises in Spain and flows more or less East – West across Northern Portugal reaching
the sea at Portugal’s second city, Oporto. Once a fast flowing river of rapids and narrow ravines it has
been tamed over the past 25 years by the construction of 8 dams along its length giving it, in most places,
a tranquil, lake-like appearance. The valley is spectacularly beautiful with the hills falling steeply down to
the water´s edge becoming more and more sparsely populated and wild the further inland one travels,
with more of the land being given over to terraces of vines. This is port country and was, in fact, the
world´s first demarcated wine region in 1756. The color of the land changes throughout the year as the
vines mature. The reaches of the Douro have a microclimate, allowing for cultivation of olives, almonds,
and especially grapes, with its picturesque quintas or farms clinging on to almost vertical slopes dropping
down to the river...
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