402 Jounud of Agriculture , Victoria. [10 July^ 1916. 



The Vines of the Douro. 



The ro<i;ioii of tbe Douro is without contiiuliction the most notable of all the 

 viticultural regions in Portugal. It is the cradle of the most celebrated wines 

 of the world, of those famous and inimitaljle ports [Yinlios do Porto) which 

 have so justly acquired renown by the suavity of their flavour, by the exquisite 

 quality of their ethery bouquet, by the nobility and solidity of their substance 

 (Compleicdo) . Princely wines, as they have been aptly termed, so rare are the 

 precious qualities Avhich distinguish them.* 



Sr. Cincinnato da Costa, tlie author of the above, goes on to describe 

 the district where they are produced; the broad band along the River 

 Douro and its tributaries, from Barca de Alva, on the Spanish frontier, 

 to Barqueiros, which adjoins the region of Entre Douro e Minho. A 

 viticultural district as remarkable for the disposition and nature of the 

 soils on which they are planted as for the quality of the vine varieties 

 which are mainly grown. 



The number of different varieties is very considerable. The Visconde 

 de Villa Maior, one of the best-known writers on the port wine region, 

 considers the following 28 varieties to be best known and most widely 

 grown : — f 



Black Grapes. — Alvarelhao (including two sub-varieties), Bastardo, 

 Casculho, Cornifesto, Dontellinho (three sorts), Entreverde, Mourisco 

 tinto, Mureto, Nevoeira, Peagudo, Souzao, Tinia amarella, Tinta 

 carvalha, Tinta castelloa, Tinta francisca or franceza, Tinta lameira, 

 Tinta morella, Tinta pinhiera, Tinta cao, and Touriga. 



White Grapes. — Codega or Malvasia grossa, Diagalves; Donna 

 branca ; Gouveio or Verdelho (two varieties) ; Malvasia, of which there 

 are several sub-varieties; Muscatel, likewise; Rabigato or Rabo de 

 Ovelha or Estreito. 



It is rather curious that Grenache, which produces such remarkable 

 sweet wines, both in Spain and. in France, should not be included in 

 the above list. It is grown in small quantity on the Douro, where it has 

 long been known under the name of Tinta Aragoneza. Gyrao mentioned 

 it as long ago as 1822, as being grown on the Douro, where it had proved 

 a good bearer, but required a strong soil. It is very largely cultivated 

 in another Portuguese province, that of Alemtejo, south-east of the 

 Tagus River and along the Spanish frontier, but cannot in any sense 

 be looked upon as a regular constituent of port wine. 



In the following lines it is proposed to first deal with the three 

 varieties mentioned by Mr. Burney, and afterwards to describe a few 

 others which are of almost equal interest. It may be here mentioned 

 that M. Richter's Portuguese correspondent Avas unable to obtain scions 

 of Tinta cao 



Alvarelhao. 



This vine is described by Sr. Cincinnato da Costa as being one of 

 the choicest black grapes grown on the Douro, where it is cultivated on 

 a large scale in the sub-region of Baixo-Corgo, near Regua, where, in 

 combination with Bastardo, it forms the basis of the composition of 

 the best port wines. It is also to be met with in all this region as far 

 fis Barca d'Alva. 



* O Portugnl Vinicolo, by B. C. Cincinnato da Costa. — This fine ampelopraphif al work contains 

 dPSfriptions and lifo size illustrations of 94 Portupuese vine varieties. 



+ The names printed in italics are those of varieties described in ihtail in O Pi>rtvgal Vinieoln as 

 being typical Douro varieties. 



