There is an eclectic mix of grape varieties, and undoubtedly the leader of the pack is the Touriga Nacional. This grape is the basis for fine Ports and the red wines of the Douro, as well as having an increasing presence in many other regions.

Portugal is the ideal place for your wine tasting vacation in Europe. Here you will find the best food and wine, rarely visited wine cellars, and gorgeous landscapes that will make for unforgettable holiday memories.

Home of the original birthplace of Port Wine, the Douro wine region, Portugal offers many other unique wine tasting experiences, in several quality wine regions, such as the Alentejo and Ribatejo. Each region specializes in a certain type of wine, and all of them are now becoming well known throughout the world.

The country is considered a traditional Old World wine grower, with 8% of its continental land dedicated to vineyards. Only the highest mountain peaks are unable to support viticulture. Portugal has the oldest appellation system in the world, the Douro Valley. This region and Vinho Verde region, in the Northwest produce some of the world’s finest, unique and highest value-added wines. Alentejo and Dão regions produce fruitful flavour wines, suitable for a casual wine drinker. Portugal has two wine producing regions protected by UNESCO as World Heritage: the Douro Valley Wine Region (Douro Vinhateiro) and Pico Island Wine Region (Ilha do Pico Vinhateira).

Portugal has a large variety of native breeds (about 285[1]), producing a very wide variety of different wines with distinctive personality. The Oxford Companion to Wine describes the country as having “a treasure trove of indigenous grape varieties”.