History of the Douro region

Source: Best Lisbon Travel Guide

The Douro, in the northeast of Portugal, is one of the great and historic wine regions in the world. The vine has grown there since antiquity and it is known that the Romans made wine on the steep banks of the Douro River during their long occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. Later, after the ordination of the Kingdom of Portugal in the 12th century, the country became an important exporter of wine. However, it was only in the middle of the 17th century that the Douro region became the source of what we know today as Port wine.

It was the Treaty of Windsor, signed between England and Portugal in 1386, that sowed the seeds for the emergence of this great classic wine and the transformation of the Douro region into one of the most considered wine regions in the world. The treaty established a close alliance and a strong commercial relationship between the two countries. Many English merchants settled in Portugal, where the treaty had granted them special privileges and, at the end of the 15th century, shipments of Portuguese wine to England became substantial. In 1654, a new trade agreement created even more favorable conditions for English and Scottish traders living in Portugal, many of whom had their homes in the northern port city, Viana do Castelo, or in the neighboring city of Monção. They brought cod from England, as well as wool and cotton. In return, they exported Portuguese products from the agricultural sector, including the thin and astringent fine wine from the coastal area of ​​Minho, known as "Tinto de Portugal".

Source: Wikipedia

As a result of this situation, in the second half of the 15th century there was a great production and export of Portuguese wine to England, of the so-called “red wine of Portugal”, light and acid, grown in the vicinity of Minho. Due to the political conflicts between France and England, the English chose to increase taxes on French wines and subsequently banned their import, which, paradoxically, led to a greater demand for Portuguese wine. So they tried to produce a more robust and full-bodied wine, which would only be achieved if it was produced on the slopes of the Alto Douro. This led to an expansion of Douro viticulture to meet new market demands.

Marine logistics

Following these events and, for reasons of mobility, wine began to be exported by the existing vessels in the port city of Porto, which is why it became known as Port Wine. In 1703 the Treaty of Methuen determined the reduction of taxes on Port Wine, thus increasing the incentive for its commercialization and consequent exportation.

A period of great prosperity began that lasted until 1750, since in this decade the demand was scarce, exports stagnated, but wine production remained, causing an excess production.

Marques de Pombal's Influence

In view of this commercial crisis, in 1756, Marquês de Pombal determined the state control over the Port Wine trade, by the Companhia Geral da Agricultura of the Alto Douro vineyards, in order to ensure the quality of the wine as well as to achieve a balance between the production and trade. It also determined the delimitation of the wine-growing areas through 335 stone pillars, known as the Pombaline landmarks or Feitoria, where the best wines were grown, which would be exported at higher prices, which are called “feitoria wines” or fine wine. .

Source: Wikipedia

The wines, with a more modest quality, could only be marketed internally, being called “branch wines”. Marques de Pombal was also a visionary of the concept of Controlled Origin Denomination (DOC) since these measures were at the origin of today's legislation.

The second half of the 18th century began practices that led to the transformation of Port Wine as we know it today

The calamity called Filoxera

In the late 1880s, some wine growers imported vines of indigenous varieties from North America, unaware that they were carriers of small insects that became parasites for European vineyards leading to their death. In 1868, this outbreak, called phylloxera, destroys the best Port Wine vineyards in the region. Consequently, Port Wine has become scarce causing an increase in its value.

Organic Changes

In the 1930s, some innovations appeared, such as the first dry white Port and the creation of the Port Wine Institute, which is responsible for the regulation and supervision of Port Wine.
Thus, in 1932, “Grémios da Lavoura” began to be organized, with representation from the local Unions, constituted by the heads of the couple. In 1933, an association responsible for the commercial sector was created in order to ensure the discipline of commerce, the Grémio dos Exporters do Port Wine.
These two bodies, Casa do Douro and Grémio dos Port Wine Exporters, are now coordinated by the Port Wine Institute, which also has inspection, product advertising, study and quality promotion skills.
After 1974, the corporate organization was extinguished and the Grémio dos Exporters was replaced by the Association of Port Wine Exporters, which later became the Association of Port Wine Companies.
In 1986, the Association of Port Wine Bottling Producers emerges, which aims to export directly, from the Douro estates, on behalf of the respective producers.

Source: Clube Vinhos Portugueses