Are micro-climates important in the Douro?

[Roy Hersh]

Whether table wines, or Port ... do you believe that micro-climates play an important role in the Douro?

[Derek T.]

Do bears do their stuff in the woods?

To be fair, unless you have visited the region, walked amongst the vines and spoken to the people who make the Port or wine it is probably difficult to appreciate just how much this affects the end product. The ladscape is so diverse in terms of aspect, distance from the water, elevation, incline etc that on the same day you can actually experience the micro-climates that these features generate first hand.

The impact is most obvious during harvest, where each little parcel gives forth its grapes at what can be significantly different times during that few weeks in autumn. That said, I am sure the influence of temperature variance and the availability of water are what most affect the final outcome.

Derek

[Roy Hersh]

From João Nicolau de Almeida, (Ramos Pinto) comes this pearl of wisdom:

"The Douro is a wine region with microclimates. We don't have homogenous vineyards like most of the regions where the natural influences could also change, but not so dramatically as in Douro Valley. There are constant changes in the same vineyard. Altitude, exposition, soil, sub-region, inclination, different ways of planting (old stone terraces, patamares, vinha ao alta, etc.), 80 different varieties, shelter, and so on. So, in fact Douro terroir is really a blend."