Deviating from my normal routine of hiking in the countryside, I recently completed a wine-themed walk in Porto called the Urban Wine Route (Rota Urbana do Vinho, in Portuguese). But this route has a big caveat! Formerly developed by city authorities, the tourist offices no longer have it listed as an itinerary to complete! My confusion deepened when I found a map of it though, among tourism brochures in the Museum of Port. That brochure, along with my online research, gave me enough information to follow it, so I did.
Port is a fortified wine with its own appellation. It became known as Port because it was stored and shipped from the Portuguese town of Porto. The wine itself comes from the upper Douro region. These basic facts weave a fascinating tale of the history of Port.
Port wine begins in the upper Douro River valley. This grape growing area was one of the first in the world to be demarcated. Currently, the appellation regulations permit some 100 varietals for port production. After the harvest and some fermentation, aguardente, a brandy-like substance (but certainly not one that brandy drinkers would appreciate), is added to the wine to stop fermentation.
Trail Name: Urban Wine Route (Rota Urbana do Vinho)
Trail Type: Short distance, meandering walk, set in an urban environment. The route itself is not marked directionally, but does include distinctive explanation markers at many of the relevant monuments.
Length: Total: Circa 5 kilometers/ circa 3 miles
Convenient to: Porto, Portugal
Marking: Square metal plaques embedded in the sidewalk by sites on the itinerary
