Douro

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Predominantly xisto soils, with granito outcrops recognised as well suited to quality wine production.
• The Serra do Marão and Serra de Montemuro ranges act as a barrier to moist westerly winds, creating an extreme continental climate.
• The north bank is exposed to dry southerly winds; the south bank faces cooler, more humid northerly winds and receives less sunshine.
• Mean annual temperatures range from 11.8 °C to 16.5 °C, with the highest values along the Douro and the valleys of the right-bank tributaries.
• The region covers 250,000 ha and is divided into three sub-regions — Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo, and Douro Superior — each with distinct edaphoclimatic characteristics.

• Demarcated in 1756 by King D. José I, the region features hand-built socalcos constructed before phylloxera struck in 1862, and mechanised patamares introduced from the 1970s onward.
• Reds are fermented with skin maceration; whites are fermented 'bica aberta' (free-run); both are typically blends of indigenous varieties such as Touriga Nacional or Viosinho.

• Douro red wines are predominantly blends of several indigenous varieties, lending them complexity and a distinctive profile.
• Douro rosé wines are produced by brief maceration of red-wine grapes, resulting in a pink colour, an exuberant aromatic profile, and a soft, gentle palate with light acidity.

• Xisto soils, stony terrain, solar exposure, and a continental climate combine to define the analytical and organoleptic characteristics, as well as the colour, of Douro wines.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the the caderno de especificações.

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-PT-A1539
• Official trade body site — Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto