58 Port anD the Douro
growers, the average size of a vineyard holding is just 1.02 hectares. In the shadow of the
Serra do Marão, the Baixo Corgo is much the coolest, wettest and most productive of the
three zones and therefore tends to produce large volumes of lighter wines for the standard
ruby and tawny blends that are the bread and butter for the majority of Port shippers.
Curiously, the River Corgo itself, a tributary that joins the Douro just upstream
from Régua, does not quite mark the official boundary between the Baixo Corgo and
the second sub-region, the Cima Corgo (above the Corgo). This is to be found about
8 kilometres upstream at Covelinhas. With a total area of 95,000 hectares, vineyards
amount to 20,800 hectares, representing 21.89 per cent of the total area. With a total
of 14,500 hectares, the average holding is slightly larger than those in the Baixo Corgo
at 1.43 hectares. Most of the larger properties are to be found on the banks of the River
Douro and its tributaries: the Tedo, Távora, Torto, Pinhão and Tua. Representing the
zone where the Atlantic influence gives way to the continental / Mediterranean, the
climate is considerably warmer, drier and more reliable than it is downstream. All the
major shippers own vineyards in the Cima Corgo, and wines from the area form the basis
for premium styles of Port, especially aged tawnies, LBV and vintage.
The most easterly sub-region, the Douro Superior, is a relative newcomer to Port,
having been hampered for centuries by poor access and isolation (see Chapter 1). It is
the largest of the three sub-regions, covering 110,000 hectares of land, but still has the
fewest vineyards despite a considerable increase in recent years. With 10,200 hectares in
2011, just 9.3 per cent of the region is under vine. With 6,500 growers the average size
of vineyard holding is larger here but is still only 1.56 hectares. The climate in the Douro
Superior is marked by continental extremes, with drought a recurring problem. A number
of growers have resorted to installing drip irrigation in order to make up for the natural
deficit. The Douro Superior is capable of producing some fine, powerful wines, most of
which are used for premium blends including vintage. There has also been a considerable
increase in the amount of vineyard devoted to producing unfortified Douro wine.
vineyarD ClassiFiCation: a to i
No matter how hard I try, it is impossible to find a word either in Portuguese or English
with the same extended meaning as the French expression terroir. It is an all embracing
term that combines soil, aspect, macro-, meso- and microclimate as well as human input
and tradition. Terroir is frequently held up to justify the difference in the character of a wine
produced in one place from another. For want of a better expression, terroir forms the basis
of a detailed classification of Douro vineyards on which the production of Port is based.
Devised by Álvaro Moreira da Fonseca (see opposite), the system has served the region well
with only minor revisions since, most recently in 2001.
Each and every vineyard plot within the Douro (and there are over 143,000 separate
holdings) is graded according to a system of points. Twelve different physical variables are
incorporated into the classification in order of importance as follows: