When the legislation changed in 1987, Quinta de la Rosa was the first winery to become independent. We visited three farms to see what everyday life is like for a small, independent Port producer in the Douro Valley. This is particularly possible on houses that own the best growing categories of vineyards. However, a handful of producers continue to go strong with Port, seeking to differentiate themselves from the big brands through quality and personality. Others have stepped up their efforts to produce dry DOC Douro wines and use a larger proportion of their grapes for these than for Port. Some small producers have set out to open up the market at a low price, unfortunately often at the expense of quality. The brands of the traditional large port houses had gained such a strong position in the market during the monopoly that small operators still have a hard job to fight against their reputation and strong position. Today, there are more than 60 of these smaller ‘Single Quinta’ producers-bottlers, but they still account for less than 2% of the Port trade. Many smaller producers seized the opportunity and began to store their own wine and bottle it for export. In 1987, forced by Portugal’s accession to the EU, the law was changed to allow smaller houses to sell port directly from the Douro Valley. The embanked fields of the Douro River Valley are a unique sight. Another option was to sell their production to the big Port houses for use in blends sold under these big brands. Smaller, locally-owned houses had to be content to produce their port for the domestic market. The most famous port houses such as Taylor`s, Graham`s and Sandeman have been foreign-owned since the beginning of their history, so the British, Dutch and Germans have dominated the port trade for centuries. A long-standing law guaranteed traditional wineries a monopoly on the export market. The regulation and restrictions around port wine have a centuries-old tradition. Portugal’s own wine in the hands of others Read also Antti Lehikoinen’s port wine school. The region’s steep and embanked slopes, ancient farming and winemaking traditions and indigenous grape varieties make it a unique wine-producing region in the world. Port wine is a fortified wine produced exclusively in northern Portugal in the Douro Valley. How are small-scale producers of Port wine today? Join us in the stunning scenery of the Douro. Port wine’s history is one of dusty 40-degree temperatures, back-breaking rocky slopes, centuries of regulation and mysterious monopolies that were only called into question with Portugal’s accession to the EU.
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