Among the various categories of Port Wine, Vintage Port is the highest exponent of this “nectar” of the gods. This is the only Port that ripens fully in bottle and its consumption must be immediate so as not to lose the fragile aromas in contact with the air.

It is bottled 2 to 3 years after aging in wood and gradually evolves during 10 to 50 years in bottle. This aging removes the influence of air completely resulting in a much slower loss of color and the ability to preserve their typical fruity aromas.

It is the producer who decides which harvest can be declared vintage. Austere in its youth, with an enormous depth of taste and massive structure, capable of evolving for several years. It is a wine produced from grapes of a single year and must be of exceptional quality. It presents a deep color, a solid structure and intensely fruity aromas and flavors.

After the selection, the producer has to take it to the IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto) who validates it. If the wine has “exceptional organoleptic characteristics, from a single harvest, “retinto” and full-bodied, […] and has very fine aroma and taste”; (Regulation 242/2010) it is then declared Vintage Port.

It is therefore the ideal wine for anyone who wants a good investment since its value increases as the time goes by. Don’t forget to keep it lying down, always in the same position, in a dark place and preferably with temperatures between 16º and 18ºC.

And when that special time comes to open it, remember to decant it (to eliminate the natural deposit) and to drink it at that exact moment.

To appreciate it in all its fullness, bear in mind that it is an exceptional quality wine, hand-picked, produced according to ancestral techniques and coming from a very special place.

Discover it by visiting its birthplace with us.

O conteúdo Do you know which Port Wine should be consumed at the time of its opening? aparece primeiro em Douro Promenade.

A variety reacts differently depending on where it is planted, influenced by all the characteristics of the soil and the climate (the terroir), leading to differences in the final product: the wine. This is why many native grape varieties have the highest potential in the Douro region.

Throughout the Douro Demarcated Region 209 million vine plants are planted, with around registered 150 varieties, and many of them don’t exist anywhere else in the world. The varieties cultivated in the Douro region have a secular history, since some come from the time of the Cistercian Order (Middle Ages).

The most common and considered the best for Port Wine and Douro DOC wines are:

Red wines: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Trincadeira and Souzão.

White wines: Malvasia Fina, Gouveio, Rabigato, Viosinho.

For the production of Muscatel (fortified wine), the Moscatel Galego variety is used.

We invite you to get to know some of these grape varieties in their stunning natural territory through the best douro wine producers.

O conteúdo Did you know that there are about 150 grape varieties listed in the Douro region? aparece primeiro em Douro Promenade.

It was on the basis of the renowned excellence of Port Wines and the potential for the production of still wines of the predominant grape varieties, that the region saw the Douro Denomination of Origin created and regulated in 1982.

After 2 decades, the most demanding specialists and critics are beginning to discover and attesting the wines high personality and quality properties. Douro Doc wines have become fashionable among oenophiles with dozens of awards and recognitions among the best wines in the world.

In White Douro Doc wines it is possible to find freshness, with fruity and floral fragrances, of great aromatic intensity. These should be consumed young and at temperatures between 8º and 10ºC. There are also whites with aging potential (usually called Reserva or Grande Reserva), which are aged in wood and can be kept in there for a few years. They are full-bodied wines, persistent on the palate, with complex tropical fruit and almond aromas that must be consumed at temperatures around 12ºC.

The Douro Doc red wines are often young, ruby colored wines, with aromas of cherry and raspberry, ready to be consumed from the moment they are bottled. They should be served between 13º and 15 ºC.

The Douro Region is, however, very suitable for red wines with potential for ageing (“vinhos de guarda”, usually called Reserva or Grand Reserve). They are wines with great structure, persistent tannins, good depth of color, complex and intense aromas. When consumed young, these wines have black fruit, chocolate, violet and notes of wood aromas. After a few years they become softer, with more delicate and subtle but complex aromas. The ideal temperature to drink them will be between 16 and 18ºC.

The Douro Doc Rose has been gaining more and more fans, following the trend of consumption worldwide. They are produced from a light maceration of red grapes, which gives them a beautiful pink color and exuberant aromas of raspberry, cherry and candy. Inside the mouth, they fill our palate with their smoothness, sweetness and acidity being ideal to accompany Asiatic dishes. They should be consumed young and between 10º and 12ºC.

Douro has become a mandatory destination for all oenophiles and is today one of the great wine regions of the world that you have to visit at least once in your life.

Discover the best of the Douro region and delight yourself with its wine heritage.

O conteúdo Did you know that DOURO DOC still wines are already a reference on the world? aparece primeiro em Douro Promenade.