What’s Old Is New in Portugal's Douro Valley
Often savored at the end of a meal over decadent cheeses and chocolates and revered for its plum and berry notes, Port is an aperitif of legend. Though unbeknownst to most, Portugal’s world-renowned dessert wine first came to fruition when the Romans crossed the hilly banks of the Douro River to begin their reign over the Iberian Peninsula. Touting centuries of wine-making traditions, they kicked off the country’s wine-making practices through to its formation as the Kingdom of Portugal in the 12th century.
But it wasn’t until the mid-17th century when Portugal began producing its eponymous spirit. Thanks to English experimentation, sailors would mix Duriense wine with brandy to preserve the libation for long sea crossings. Now, this fortified wine, produced with distilled grape spirits, is the most sought-after in the Douro Valley.
By the late 1990s, the country’s Port production entered a new era when over half of Douro Valley wineries went from growing around 20 grape varietals per vineyard to only three grape varietals—many wineries extracted traditional grapes in favor of new-world varietals. Today, only a handful of wineries are touting old-world Port grapes like rufete and mourisco tinto.
During an exploration of the Douro Valley with gyde Filipe, discover these not-to-miss ancestral grapes that are now used to form the most coveted Port in the region.
Rufete at Real Companhia Velha
Though this early-ripening vine is known to produce light-bodied, single-varietal wines with its spicy aromas and violet notes, it’s true claim to fame lies elsewhere—it’s the secret ingredient in the Douro Valley’s most delicious port wines. This popular Portuguese varietal even found its way into Spain hundreds of years ago through the Camino de Santiago and forms the modern backbone to many popular Spanish vintages produced in Salamanca. At Real Companhia Velhai in the Douro Valley—a winery with an illustrious 250-year history in the region—sample a range of Port made with rufete, from deep ruby and fruity bottles to golden port aged in wooden casks for three years.
Real Companhia Velha; Douro Valley, Portugal
Mourisco Tinto at Quinta dos Lagares
Another mainstay grape in Port production is mourisco tinto, a red varietal almost exclusively planted in the Douro Valley. Positioned on the left bank of the Pinhão River, Quinta dos Lagares is home to 70 hectares of land devoted to the production of wine, olive oil, and the protection of indigenous fauna like juniper, oak and chestnut trees. More than 60 percent of the vineyards are between 40 and 70 years old, with the oldest dating back to 1944. During a tasting at this classic winery, guests are treated to wines made from a mix of ancestral and introduced grapes like the winery’s vintage port, an amalgam of mourisco tinto and other red wine varietals that form a clean and intense aroma of dried fig and notes of blackberry with a ripe fruit finish.
Quinta dos Lagares; Douro Valley, Portugal
