Located on the western edge of Europe, Portugal is a land where the Carthaginians, ancient Greeks and then the Romans, who named the land Lusitania, built important trading and military outposts. It was at the periphery of the known Western world at the time, isolated from Spain by mountains and rivers and enveloped by the vast, mysterious Atlantic Ocean to the west. Much later, the Portuguese were key players in the Age of Exploration - namely the 15th and 16th centuries - and, for a time, Portuguese ships ruled the world.
Famed Portuguese explorers Vasco da Gama, Pedro Alvares Cabral and Ferdinand Magellan were among the first Europeans to 'discover' unknown lands and trade routes, seeking and finding riches all over the globe. Portugal's wealth vastly increased as a result of these voyages, bringing back massive amounts of gold, silver, exotic spices and slaves.
Visiting Portugal is about history, great explorations, sunshine, the sea, superb beaches, cork production, wine and of course, port. And don't forget the cuisine. Diners will experience incredible fresh sea bass, prawns, huge snappers and mammoth octopuses. Black pig and potatoes is another tasty speciality. I recently enjoyed some marvellous slow-cooked Bisaro pork with beetroot and melon at the smart Rui Paula Restaurant in Oporto.
Though Lisbon is the country's capital and centre for government, tourism and culture, Portugal's second-largest city, Oporto has been a leading commercial centre for centuries, particularly in the wine and port trades. Located at the mouth of the River Douro, and declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1996, this picturesque city remains the transit point for port wines heading by ship to consumers around the world. Looked down upon by those from Lisbon, people from Oporto were called the 'Tripeiros or tripe eaters.' Today, FC Porto, the major Oporto soccer team and its fans proudly call themselves, the 'Tripeiros'.
Since the mid-1600's, the port houses in Oporto - on the left bank, or Gaia side of the city - produced and shipped port wines, mostly through British companies (England and Portugal have alliances that go back centuries). Many of the original British port companies located on the Gaia side, such as Taylor-Fladgate, Grahams, Warres, Dows, Sandeman, Delaforce, Fonseca, Croft, Cockburns and Offley are still in business and can be visited. All port houses try and maintain a 'house style' for their ports, year after year. One reason these fortified wines became popular was that the relatively high alcohol content (20 per cent) prevented spoilage and helped ocean-going sailors avoid scurvy.
True port wines differ from other still-wine products in a few important processes. First of all, ports are fortified wines, meaning a grain alcohol product is added during fermentation to kill the process, raise the alcohol content to 20 per cent and, as a by product, a great deal of the grape's sugar content remains in the wine. This is why ports are sweet and unctuous. Second, port wines come from 'field blends', where many varieties of grape are co-fermented, or crushed together simultaneously. Port winemakers across the board agree that this method produces more interesting, complex wines than by using single varietals. Next, the very best vintage ports are all made from foot-trodden grapes produced in large granite or concrete lagars. The low-tech, human foot gently produces the perfect, delicate, nuanced qualities found in the very best ports. This foot-treading occurs in only about 2 per cent of all ports.
'The foot is the perfect tool for the maceration of the grape,' says Natasha Bridge, head winemaker for the Taylor-Fladgate partnership. This method is expensive. Indeed, I tried foot-treading, which was actually very difficult and like stepping though a pool filled with thick preserves. But with the music playing and the people singing, it became a fabulous party. The harvest time in the Douro Valley is a festive moment and a way to experience the Portuguese social system in action.