Page 245 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Portugal

Autumn foliage at a vineyard in the Douro Valley

DOURO AND

TRÁS-OS-MONTES

As early as the 9th century BC, Phoenician
merchants arrived in the Douro estuary to trade.
The Romans later developed the settlements of
Portus (modern-day Porto) and Cale on either side
of the river, and the names subsequently united,
as Portucale, to denote the region between the
Minho and Douro rivers. This was the nucleus of
the kingdom of Portugal.
The upper reaches of the Douro river are
devoted to the cultivation of grapes for port,
and the valley’s landscape and history has been
shaped by its endless vineyards and quintas (wine
estates). Manuel I ordered the widening of fishing
channels in the early 16th century in response to
the growing demand for port during the Age of
Discovery, as sailors requested barrel after barrel
of the fortified wine to see them through long sea
journeys. Between the 17th and 19th centuries,
England became the main consumer of the wine
grown in the region, resulting in the Methuen Treaty
of 1703, which mutually abolished tariffs. In 1756,
the Douro Valley became the first demarcated
wine region in the world.
In contrast with the thriving Douro Valley, Trás-
os-Montes is remote and untamed. It was a refuge
in the past of religious and political exiles. The
hard life and lack of opportunity to better it have
depopul ated the land; those who remain till the
fields and herd their flocks in the unforgiving
climate, according to the rhythm of the seasons.
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