Wine region · Portugal

Douro wine

The Douro is a wine region in northern Portugal along the Douro river, the source of Port and of dry Douro DOC wines. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz lead its grapes. Demarcated in 1756, it had 43,708 ha of vines, mostly on schist terraces, in 2020.

Country	Portugal
Vineyard area	About 43,708 ha (2020)
Climate	Continental: cold winters, hot dry summers, rainfall falling sharply from west to east
Main grapes	Touriga Nacional, Tempranillo, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão, Gouveio, Viosinho, Malvasia Fina
Key appellations	Port, Douro, Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo, Douro Superior
Wines on WineGuessr	3

History

Port became England's favoured wine after the Methuen Treaty of 1703 lowered duties on Portuguese wine. A royal charter of 10 September 1756 then defined the production area for Port, making the Douro one of the oldest demarcated wine regions in the world, after Chianti and Tokaj. The wines were traditionally stored in lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia, opposite Porto, for ageing and export. Dry table wine came later: in 1952 Fernando Nicolau de Almeida made the first Barca Velha, and wider growth followed Portugal's entry into the European Economic Community in 1986, which ended the Gaia lodges' monopoly. The Alto Douro wine landscape became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001.

Terroir and appellations

The demarcated region covers about 250,000 ha, of which 43,708 ha (18%) were under vine in 2020. It is divided into three subregions: Baixo Corgo in the west, with 13,204 ha of vines, Cima Corgo around Pinhão, with 20,427 ha, and the hot, remote Douro Superior towards Spain, with 10,177 ha. The Marão and Montemuro mountains block Atlantic moisture, so rainfall falls from about 1,200 mm in Baixo Corgo to 380 mm in Douro Superior, and average temperatures range from 11.8 to 16.5 °C. Soils are mainly schist, with granite at the edges, and many vineyards are terraced. About 20,000 growers farm the vines, averaging 2 ha each.

Grapes and wine styles

Five red grapes dominate Port: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cão; white Port uses Malvasia Fina, Gouveio and others. Port is made by adding a neutral grape spirit, aguardente, during fermentation, which stops it and leaves sweetness, with 19 to 22% alcohol. Ruby Ports are aged briefly to keep fresh fruit, tawnies age in barrel and may carry age indications of 10, 20, 30 or more years, Late Bottled Vintage spends four to six years in wood, and Vintage Port is declared only in the best years. The same grapes now make dry red Douro DOC wines in roughly equal volume to Port.

3 wines from Douro on the map

Douro wine: questions and answers

Is Port only made in the Douro?

Yes. Under EU law only Portuguese wine from the demarcated Douro region can be sold as Port, though it was traditionally aged and shipped from Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto.

What grapes are used to make Port?

The main Port grapes are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cão. White Port uses grapes such as Malvasia Fina and Gouveio.

What is the difference between ruby and tawny Port?

Ruby Port is aged briefly, usually in large vessels, to keep its colour and fresh fruit. Tawny Port ages longer in barrels, taking on a brownish colour and nutty flavours.

When was the Douro wine region demarcated?

The Douro was demarcated by a royal Portuguese charter of 10 September 1756, which defined where Port could be produced.

Sources: ivdp.pt, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org

Last reviewed October 2026.