With so many variables in the Douro Valley terroir, one would be mistaken in thinking that the difference in one port to another was about blending. While the vagarities of climate and exposure had always been respected, it took a while for the Portuguese to catch on that the proof was in the soil. Long thought of as being just schist and granite, with the emerging fashion for table wine, winemakers began to step away from Port production and look more closely at what they are planting in. Because of the steep slopes of the region, vines that were able to force their roots through broken granite could offer a very different option than those that are grown on more horizontal terrain.

In order to try an buck the trend and change the world’s thinking about Portuguese fine wine, cooperatives of young winemakers have been revisiting the country’s magnificent red wine heritage. These full-bodied beauties are relatively inexpensive to acquire on the primary market and can fetch up to xxxx on the secondary market, so it is worth considering if you want to expand your “port” folio.