Region · Douro, Portugal
Douro
DOH-roo
Terraces, Port, and dry reds
Portugal's schist canyon. Vintage Port made the fame; dry Douro reds and whites are the modern story.
- blackberry
- schist
- violet
- cocoa
- dried fruit
Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and a field of others grow on terraces that look impossible. Port is fortification mid-ferment; dry table wine is the same fruit fermented out.
Vintage Port needs decades. Tawny is ready. Dry reds want decanting and protein. White Douro, often from Rabigato and Viosinho, is a sleeper.
Game, aged cheese, and chocolate with Port; grilled meats with dry red.
At the table
Service
Dry red 61–64 °F (16–18 °C); Vintage Port 61 °F (16 °C) decanted; Tawny 54–57 °F (12–14 °C).
