The Douro is a valley, it is a river, it is a vineyard, it is wine. In answer to the work of the river, Man has, through his labours, transformed these mountains of schistose rock into fertile land and walled terraces, the joint efforts of many cultures, a truly epic feat. Sheltered from the damp Atlantic winds by the Marão and Montemuro mountains, the wine producing region, first demarcated and regulated in 1756 ‐ and the first of its kind world‐wide ‐ is located in Northeast Portugal, between Barqueiros and Mazouco on the Spanish border. It is the land of wine! Although the Demarcated Region spreads to over 250,000 hectares, vineyards cover only 40,000 hectares in the deep valleys and along the hillsides of the Douro River and its tributaries: the Corgo, Torto, Pinhão, Tua and Côa rivers, among others. The region is subdivided into three sub‐regions: the Lower Corgo to the west, the Upper Corgo in the centre, and the Upper Douro to the east. Although the mesoclimate may vary from one sub‐region to another, winter is always cold and summer always hot and dry throughout. These characteristics, together with the nobility of the vine varieties, are the factors that determine the quality and purity of the wines, themselves neither more nor less than the expression of the congenial marriage of the land, the climate, Man’s love and his art. Still the Douro is not just vineyards, wine, almonds, and olive oil... It is its people, the farmers who are responsible for its history and for the stories that are told. It is the Quintas ‐ the estates whose warm welcome and bucolic atmosphere have remained unchanged over the years. Why not discover all of this yourself instead of just reading about it ‐ take a trip along the Port Wine Route, 90 Km from Porto.