Porto

The Port Passage

In 1678, English merchants first shipped wine under the name "Port" from this riverfront. The Methuen Treaty of 1703 gave Portuguese wines tax advantages over French, and an entire industry was born. The Marquis of Pombal drew the Douro boundaries in 1756 with 300 stone posts - making it the world's third oldest protected wine region after Chianti (1716) and Tokaj (1730). Today, 60+ lodges line Vila Nova de Gaia, aging millions of liters in cool granite cellars. This is the capital of one of wine's great inventions.