The Douro River begins in Central Spain, where it's called the Duero. It flows southeast for a bit and then heads west into Portugal, changing its name to Douro, and then spills out into the Atlantic Ocean. All along the way it's surrounded by vineyards, olive groves, and almond orchards.
(This article was written for GrapeBunch, our weekly wine periodical. Click here to read the original!)
In Spain, where it's solely within Castilla y León, it supplies water and contributes to the climates of Ribera del Duero, Rueda, and Toro. In Ribera del Duero that river is needed because the land is literally a desert! The big thing here is the Tempranillo grape, which is called Tinto Fino locally. 95% of the vineyards here are planted with Tinto Fino, and to qualify for the Ribera del Duero D.O. the wines must be made of at least 75% Tinto Fino. The wines are rich with bold tannin and notes of cherries, spices, earth, and tobacco. It's one of my most favorite wine regions in the world. Heading west, Rueda is famous for their light and aromatic white wines made from the Verdejo grape, while Toro is mostly known for their Tempranillo and Garnacha
In Portugal it goes through the regions of Douro Valley (its namesake), and the southern portion of Vinho Verde. The famous dessert wine Port is made in the Douro Valley (we featured Port last month on GrapeBunch) but that's not all that they make. Douro Valley also produces outstanding unfortified reds from the same grapes as Port: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca, and Tinta Cão. Because these are mostly blends, broadstroke profile style varies. They can be anywhere from light to heavy, soft to astringent, fruity to herbal. When it comes to price vs quality, Portugal is among the best places, if not the best place, to look at right now, and Douro is in the foreground of this movement. Neighboring Vinho Verde is famous for those light, fresh, quaffable, thirst-quenching whites that bare its name.
This article was written for The GrapeBunch Wine Periodical.
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Joey Casco
Beverage Marketer
Certified Specialist of Wine
Certified Specialist of Spirits
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