"PINHAO" a Pinhão Travel Page by northsea

The Douro river area can be compared to many parts of the Rhine and Moezel region in Germany. There are a few villages along the river but they can only be reached by narrow and twisting roads.
From Porto in the west till the Spanish border in the East, it's one big vineyard, and is worldwide known for his Port and Port-wine. It's a very beautiful region to explore, and in contrast to the South of Portugal, the landscape is very green, but on the negative side, there is the risk to have more rain than in the South.
While visiting this area you have to know some words in Portugese because in that part of Portugal, it's very rare to find people who speaks another language.
Recently, a prosperous tourist industry, has developed a large network of river cruise excursions from Oporto to points along the upper Douro.
Boats pass through the dams by way of "locks".

PORT is a fortified wine from the remote vineyards in Portugal's Douro Valley. Here, in the Douro Valley, time has almost stood still. You will not find the latest wine making techniques and fancy equipment. Instead, you will find a wine industry much the way it was over a hundred years ago. Yet, in spite of it, or because of it, vintage Port is one of the world's greatest wines.

Port takes its name from the city of Oporto that is situated at the mouth of the 560-mile long Rio Douro or River of Gold. Although many port-style wines are made around the world – most notably Australia, South Africa and the United States – the strict usage of the terms Port or Porto refer only to wines produced in Portugal.

A tiny town on the curve of the Douro river, the heart of the wine production region. You can reach the village by a slow train up the river from Porto, or by road from Porto following the river upwards. Be aware the road is small and very twisting over hills and through little villages.
Its location is spectular and its charm lies principally in being a small town where wine production is king.