Duoro Valley 3

Port is produced from grapes grown in the Douro valley. Until 1986 it could only be exported from Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city. The terrain of the Douro Valley has always been challenging due to lack of road infrastructure across the mountainous region. The further away from Vila Nova de Gaia, the more difficult it was transporting the wines for maturing and ageing for export from the city. Traditionally, the wine was taken downriver in flat-bottom boats called a barco rabelo, to be processed and stored as transport by boat was the only effective method of transport. In the 1950s and 1960s, several hydroelectric power dams were built along the river, ending this tradition. With investment into the infrastructure of the region, the wine is now transported from the vineyards by tanker trucks and the barco rabelo are only used for tourism, racing and other displays.