📍 Douro Superior
The hot eastern subzone up to the Spanish border.
Douro Superior is the hot eastern sub-region of the Douro, running up to the Spanish border. It is the hottest and driest of the three: about 380 to 450 mm of rain a year and summer temperatures that can exceed 40 °C. The Marão and Montemuro mountains shelter it from Atlantic winds, which gives a continental climate.
Vines are planted sparsely, about 8,700 ha across the largest sub-region by extent. History here goes back to 1877, when Dona Antónia Ferreira bought 270 ha at Vale Meão near Vila Nova de Foz Côa. Barca Velha was first made in 1952 with Vale Meão grapes, and Quinta do Vale Meão released its own-label estate wine in the late 1990s under the Olazabal family.
Touriga Nacional is the main grape. Douro Superior is a protected designation of origin (PDO).
How it connects to Wine
📍 Douro Superior ← grows in ← 🍇 Touriga Nacional → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 📍 Douro
- Grapes
- 🍇 Touriga Nacional
Frequently asked questions
How hot does Douro Superior get?
Summer temperatures can exceed 40 °C.
Which famous wine first used Vale Meão grapes?
Barca Velha, first made in 1952.
Who owns Quinta do Vale Meão?
The Olazabal family released its own-label estate wine in the late 1990s.
Similar
Sources
- IVV – Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho
- eAmbrosia – EU geographical indications register
- Wine With Seth - Douro Superior
- Cellar Tours Douro guide
- The Drinks Business