Port wine is the most famous representative of fortified wine, and it comes from valley of the Duero river in the north of Portugal. Here, on rocky terraces that are “incandesced by the hot sun”,it is possible to grow grapes with concentrated flavour, that contain high sugar content from local red varieties. The five most valuable varieties from the many cultivated are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cao and Tinta Barocca. The region where port wine is grown streches along both costs of the Duero river, starting from the Spanish border towards the west. Those vineyards are among the most impressive ones in the world, being cultivated by hard work and the planting of vines in rock terraces. Terraces to this wild, but beautiful are give almost elegant look. Depending on the composition of the soil, Duero vineyards are classified in six categories, and the most valued are those grown in soils with natural slate, especially steep sunny hillsides.
