Lajfstajl / Lifestyle
Cela ova oblast, sa svojom prelepom vijugavom rekom i strmim terasastim padinama, nalazi se na Uneskovoj listi svetske baštine This region, with its beautiful, meandering river and steep, terraced slopes, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The magical Douro Valley The birthplace of port wine is among Europe’s oldest and most beautiful wine regions. Wine has been produced in the area for two thousand years, with vineyards classified there almost a century before those of Bordeaux. Isolat- ed from the temperate coastal ar- ea by the Marão mountains, which shield it from the rain-rich winds blowing off the Atlantic, the Douro Valley has a climate of hot dry sum- mers and harsh winters. Unlike many of Europe’s great rivers, the Douro has never had strategic military importance. As such, visitors following its course encounter farms and sleepy villag- es, rather than castles. The Douro region stretches along the river of the same name and is situated ap- proximately 60 miles inland from the city of Porto (where the river empties into the Atlantic). Touring this region brings the enjoyment of steep, twisting valleys and neat terraces as far as the eye can see. Depending on when you visit, the hillsides can shift in colour from dusty brown in winter, via scrub- by green in summer, to fiery red and gold in autumn. A visit here helps one appre- ciate just how arduous it was, and still is, to produce traditional port wine. Generation after gen- eration, rugged farmers gradual- ly transformed these hillsides in- to vast terraces, expertly crafted to let grape vines draw water from be- low and sun from above. The pro- duction of port remains a labour of love to this day, with the grapes still generally picked by hand and crushed in the traditional way — by foot! Saúde!
P ort wine is a fortified red wine produced in Portu- gal – or actually produced exclusively in the Douro Valley. Often dubbed a ‘dessert wine‘ due to its sweetness, different styles of port can be sipped as aperitifs or digestifs. When you look into how port is made, you’ll discover that the process is the same as winemaking, except bran- dy is added during fermentation, giving it a higher alcohol content and more body. Brandy also halts fermentation, ensuring the grapes’ natural sweetness is retained. Port uses a unique blend of grapes na- tive to Portugal. Port wine generally has strong berry flavours, while some include hints of chocolate, dried fruit, cin- namon and nuts. An even wider array of flavours emerges as port ages, including hazelnut, fig, al- mond and more. This wine is great with charcuterie and especially stronger cheeses and blue chees- es, which accentuate the sweet- ness of the Port and its berry fla- vours. A small chunk of Stilton, a mince pie and a glass of port is an unbeatable combination. An- other great way to pair port with food is to serve it with smoked,
salted, or roasted nuts or desserts made with chocolate and caramel. The history of port dates back to the 17 th century, when England was at war with France. With French wines banned, and later taxed excessively, wine mer- chants looked elsewhere and found the Douro River. Brandy was added to the local wine to ensure it sur- vived the journey back to England. Monks at one of the area’s wine- making monasteries added bran- dy during fermentation, thus cre- ating the sweet style of fortified wine that we know and love today. Serve port at just below room temperature, at around 10-16°C. This helps draw out the sweet- ness and flavours of this dark red wine, without rendering the alco- hol overpowering. Simply store it in a cooler room, or pop it in the fridge for a while. You also don’t need to gulp it down, but should rather approach it like a fine brandy, with small sips. You want to ingest just enough that you get those delicious fruity, ber- ry flavours. Port is often served in smaller dessert glasses to help focus on the fruit, oak and spice undertones, but you can also use a regular wine glass.
82 | Vino » Wine
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator