Francisco Ribeiro da Silva - História do Douro e do Vinho do Porto - Vol. 3

We are aware that vine cultivation in the Douro Valley dates back to very ancient times and has been a major contributor to the region's economy throughout the centuries. In this Volume III, we will focus on the modern era, that is, the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. During these approximately three hundred years, events and circumstances catapulted the wine produced in the Upper Douro to a prominent place in the showcase of European agricultural products. As a commodity of excellence, Douro wine earned a mandatory place on the refined tables of European courts, adapted to British tastes, gained fame, and, as such, acquired a structuring weight in Portugal's trade and balance of payments. And it definitively became a trademark of a city, a region, a country, and its inescapable connection with England and the English.