Alto Douro Wine Region, Wine-producing region in northeastern Portugal.
The Alto Douro Wine Region is a wine-producing area in northeastern Portugal with stepped vineyards built into steep hillsides along the Douro River. The vines grow on terraced fields shaped to fit the rocky terrain across four districts: Vila Real, Bragança, Viseu, and Guarda.
The region became the world's first regulated wine area in 1756 when the Companhia Geral da Agricultura das Vinhas do Alto Douro set its boundaries. This early regulation helped protect wine quality and made it known internationally.
Winemaking families have lived here for centuries, passing down knowledge about grape varieties and cultivation methods through generations. You can visit old estates in many villages where traditional production methods are still visible today.
You reach this area best by train from Porto to Régua or Barca de Alva, from where you can explore the vineyards. Boat trips on the Douro River offer a good way to visit different estates and villages without having to drive yourself.
Some of the steepest vineyard terraces were hand-carved into the rock several hundred years ago and still require heavy physical labor during harvest. This manual work makes grape picking here slower and harder than in flat wine regions elsewhere.
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