Douro

The climatic, orographic, and pedological characteristics ofPortugal's Douro region determinethe economic exploitation of natural resources and the activities carried out there. Viticulture is the main activity for most farmers in the region and is carried out in particularly hostile climatic conditions, on rocky soils that offer no alternative.

The existence of numerous quality wines in the Douro region has necessitated the creation of selection criteria and the sharing of the musts produced there.

For this reason, of the total area occupied by vineyards, only 26,000 hectares are authorized to produce port wine. Approved vines are selected according to quality criteria based on a scoring method and classified on a quality scale from A to F. This method takes into account soil, climate, and cultivation parameters, which have a decisive influence on the potential quality of the plots. Only after their fifth year can vineyards consider producing port wine and, in accordance with the provisions of the land registry, each vineyard plot is assigned a must production coefficient.

In order to plant vineyards in this region, it has been necessary to use terraced land development techniques in areas where the slope is steepest. The methods used to train the vines are the solution found to ensure that the soil and climate are best suited to the needs of the plant while meeting production objectives.

In most cases, vineyards are grown exclusively, although they sometimes coexist with almond or olive trees on the edges of plots.