Alto Douro Wine Region

The Alto Douro Wine Region is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Douro valley of northern Portugal, inscribed in December 2001 as a living cultural landscape. It covers 24,600 hectares of terraced vineyards along the Douro and its tributaries the Varosa, Corgo, Távora, Torto and Pinhão, with a buffer zone of 225,400 hectares.

UNESCO records that wine has been produced in the Alto Douro for about 2,000 years, and that the quality of Port wine made here has been defined and regulated since 1756.

Terraced vineyards along the Douro River — Terraced vineyards on the slopes of the Douro valley.

What to see in the Alto Douro Wine Region

Terraces: vineyards built in rows of terraces on the steep schist slopes of the valley, using different techniques over the centuries.
Socalcos: the oldest terraces, from before phylloxera reached the region in the 19th century, narrow and irregular, held by walls of schist and planted with only one or two rows of vines.
Quintas: the wine estates of the valley, with their houses, cellars and chapels among the vineyards.
Villages and chapels: the villages, chapels and roads that UNESCO lists as part of the landscape of wine making.
Mountains: the Marão and Montemuro ranges, which shelter the valley from the Atlantic winds.

Why the Alto Douro is World Heritage

Criterion (iii): the region has produced wine for nearly 2,000 years, and human activity has shaped its landscape.
Criterion (iv): the terraces, quintas, villages, chapels and roads represent the full range of activities linked to wine making.
Criterion (v): the landscape is an outstanding example of a traditional European wine-producing region and of its evolution over time.

History of the Alto Douro Wine Region

About 2,000 years ago: wine production begins in the Alto Douro, according to UNESCO.
1756: the Douro becomes a demarcated and regulated wine region.
19th century: phylloxera destroys much of the vineyard, and new terraces are built when it is replanted.
December 2001: UNESCO inscribes the Alto Douro Wine Region on the World Heritage List at its 25th session.

Visiting the Alto Douro Wine Region

Size: the World Heritage site covers about 10% of the Douro Demarcated Region, which extends over about 250,000 hectares.
Centre of the region: Pinhão lies at the heart of the vineyards, on the railway and the river.