The Douro Valley is famed as Port country, though half the wine produced is unfortified table wine. The powerful, spicy reds are now achieving an international acclaim and distribution. The savoury, floral whites, though excellent, are harder to find outside the region itself.

The region of Douro is situated in hot, north-central Portugal. The dramatically terraced slopes of the domed hills are ideal for ripening the thick-skinned black grapes, such as Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), grown on the crumbled layers of minerally schist soil.

The Douro is divided into three sections: the Baixo (Lower) Corgo, the Cima (Higher) Corgo, which is significantly drier and hotter, (and the main area where all the Port houses have their best vineyards), and the Douro Superior. This is the high, arid plain, which runs eastwards up to the border with Spain. There are over 90 different permitted grape varieties allowed for Douro table wines, many of which are the same as those used for making Port. For white wines, Gouveio and Malvasia Fina are the main ingredients, while international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon must use the Vinho Regional title of Terras Duriensis.