Well, the Port wine that you drunk in Oporto was cultivated in the Douro Valley, a truly spectacular river valley with hills covered with terraces of vines falling down on the to river banks. The Douro river originates in Spain and flows west through Portugal until it reaches Oporto on the coast.

The valley is easily accessible by car via the road along the river between Peso da Regua and Pinhão, but remember that the best views can be witnessed from the hills sp take time to stop and take them in! As an alternative you can cruise up the river (9 hours from Oporto) with one of the boats rides that offer this and there is also a steam train running through the valley between May and October.

The production of Port wine is widely advertised in this region on large placards on the hillsides, world famous names such as Taylors, Cockburns and Sandeman can be seen. So the next time that you see a bottle of wine labelled "vinho do Porto," you’ll remember that it was created in the Douro Valley.

This awesome region has now been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, owing to the fact that the region has produced wine for almost 2,000 years and the landscape around here has been heavily moulded by the cultivation that takes place. The valley is a real fruit bowl, perfect for growing grapes, cherries, olives and almonds.