Douro Valley

The Douro region of northern Portugal is the home of Port. It takes its name from the Douro river, which flows east to west from the Spanish border to Oporto, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. Though Douro is best known for its fortified wine Port, total production is fairly evenly split between Port and non-fortified table wines.

The viticultural zone covers the steep slopes along the banks of the lower reaches of the river, which is one of the longest on the Iberian peninsula. From its source in northern Spain, where it is known as the Duero, it flows through famous vineyards before finding the Portuguese border and becoming the Douro. From here, it cuts through the landscape, creating this unique and historic wine region before meeting the ocean at Oporto.