The Old World encompasses more than just France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Portugal is often overlooked, but has recently become much more visible due to its increasing quality standards and continued modest pricing.

The Wine Society of India's Spring Selection will be a focus on Spain and Portugal, hence this blog's focus on Portugal.

The Douro, the wine region in northern Portugal, is named after the river Douro that is known as the Duero (as in Ribera del Duero) in neighbouring Spain, that crosses the hilly border between the two countries and meanders majestically though the steeply terraced vineyards that are famous across the world for the production of Port, before reaching the Atlantic Ocean further south at Oporto.

So far, so classic, for the fortified wine Port has been made now from these rugged sun-baked vineyards for over three centuries, but over the last decade there has been more and more talk of The New Douro.  This refers to the increasing production of table wine, mostly red but with a little white, all from the same grapes that historically have produced Port.  The question posed at a presentation given recently in London by Paul Symington, MD of his family company that over the years has absorbed such famous Port Houses as Warre, Dow and Graham, Smith Wodehouse and impressive single Quintas, or estates such as the magnificently named Quinta do Vesuvio, was simply "Can one region produce two great wines?

The answer is a definitive YES.

The Douro region can be classified as Mountain Vineyards, for although their stone built terraces run down to the river, as was necessary for transport in the past, the highest vineyards are at 550 metres above sea level, and the rigorous terrain and harsh climate gives them a sparse and rugged aspect.  The rainfall is very low, the yields are amongst the lowest of any major wine region - half those of Bordeaux and one quarter that of Champagne - but all this leads to incredible intensity, structure and depth of fruit.  On its 38,000 hectares, the Douro vineyard soils are dominated by schist and rock and every vine has to be painstakingly planted by hand.  Mechanisation has only come recently to the Douro and every single vine is still harvested by hand. 

Having hardly changed for generations, the Douro now is managed by a new generation of winemakers.  Old families, with only one or two hectares of vines, can no longer survive, so concentration is inevitable and today's companies are determined to get the very best from their vineyards, whether it be for Port or the recently created table wines.   All these "new" wines are made from vines that are rarely planted outside the Douro:  principally the very robust Touriga Nacional, the elegant Tinta Roriz (same as Spain's Tempranillo), Touriga Francesa, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cao.  However, there are still dozens of unique grape varieties that, once in danger of dying out, will now be rescued and add to the complexity and character that is already making the New Douro wines so sought after in Portugal and in sophisticated export markets.

Although very few of these wines, and they are not cheap to make and their generally high quality commands a justifiable price, are yet imported into India, here are some "Single Quinta" estate wines to look out for:

Quinta do Vesuvio, Quinta de Roriz, Quinta da Gricha, Quinta do Crasto, Quinta do Vale Meao, Quinta de la Rosa, Quinta do Vallado, Quinta do Vale Dona Maria, Quinta do Noval. 

The 2007 vintage was "declared" as a Vintage Port, which happens only four times or so a decade, so this is the vintage to look for on the labels of the New Douro wines.