PORT WINE
When did the wine arrive on the banks of the Douro?
Grapes have been grown in Portugal since antiquity. The writings of Strabo, the great geographer of ancient Greece, indicate that the inhabitants of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula had been drinking wine for two thousand years. The Romans, who arrived in Portugal in the 2nd century BC and stayed for more than 500 years, cultivated vineyards and made wine on the banks of the Douro River, where Port wine is now produced.
The period of prosperity that followed the creation of the kingdom of Portugal, in 1143, saw wine become an important export product.
When does Port Wine appear?
The expression “Port Wine” first appeared in 1675 in a speech by Duarte Ribeiro de Macedo about the Arts in the kingdom. In 1678 an Englishman talks about the addition of brandy to the boarding wines in order to avoid the deterioration of the wine during the great sea and land trips. the English imported large quantities of Port wine, having more demand than French and Bordeaux wines. This great demand causes fraud and abuse and the British accusing the Portuguese of adulterating Port wine stop buying it, which caused a reduction in prices. Thus was born the general company of the agriculture of the vineyards of the Alto Douro in 1756. In this way the quality of the product is guaranteed, avoiding adulterations and balancing production, trade and price stabilization.
What are “Feitorias”?
It was the Marquis of Pombal who demarcated wine regions for the first time. 335 stone marks designated “FEITORIA”. “Feitoria” was fine wine, the best wine and what could be exported to England.
How do you make Port Wine?
Port Wine is born out of the synergy between artisanal production processes and the addition of quality wine spirit that contributes to obtaining the aromas and complexity characteristic of Port Wine.
Port wine can acquire different designations according to the number of years of maturation or the place where it aged, whether in bottle or barrel.
Among the various categories, Tawny, White, Rosé, Ruby, Colheita and Vintage stand out, among many others.
Regardless of its classification, Port wine remains a key product of the national economy, symbolically representing Portugal in the world.