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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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