Full day visit to the fabulous Douro Valley wine region - if you can only chose one tour in this region then this has to be it!
The River Douro rises in Spain and flows more or less East / West across Northern Portugal reaching the sea at Portugal's second city, Oporto. Once a fast flowing river of rapids and narrow ravines it has been tamed over the past 25 years by the construction of 8 dams along its length giving it, in most places, a tranquil, lake-like appearance.
The valley is spectacularly beautiful with the hills falling steeply down to the water´s edge becoming more and more sparsely populated and wild the further inland one travels, with more of the land being given over to terraces of vines and, to a lesser extent, olive groves.
This is port country and was, in fact, the world´s first demarcated wine region being established in 1756. Evidence of the port industry can be seen along the valley with all the famous company names - Cockburns, Taylors, Sandeman and others - appearing on large placards on the hillsides. The colour of the land changes throughout the year as the vines mature.
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