146 ON THE ALTO-DOURO WINE DISTRICT OW PORTCGAL. 



is termed par excellence "vinho do Porto," or Oporto wine. The nature of 

 its soil is trie most valuable privilege of this district. Granite quartz 

 forms the basis of the whole Douro basin. In the celebrated demarcation 

 this granite is coated with a schistous stratum blended with argil. In the 

 uplands there is no soil but that which is created by the action of the 

 atmosphere on the saturated schistous rock, which, bursting afterwards 

 from the heat of the sun, becomes pulverised, and forms the only soil on 

 which the vines grow. The schistous formation extends some short dis- 

 tance above the present limits of the district, but is still limited in extent. 

 This is one reason why Port wine, properly so-called, can never become 

 a very cheap wine. There are other causes which also tend to enhance its 

 cost, quite^ independently of any legislative enactments. The " demarca- 

 tion" is an unhealthy, thinly-inhabitated district. There are very few 

 springs, so that the want of water is severely felt, and is doubtless the 

 principal cause of the limited population of this part of Traz-oz-Montes 

 and Beira. During the hot weather, dense fogs rise from the Douro and 

 its tributaries, causing a prevalence of ague in their particular neighbour- 

 hood. As the whole district is essentially dedicated to the culture of the 

 vine, bread and provisions are both dear and scarce. The soil is turned, 

 and the grapes trodden, entirely by Gallegos (natives of Gallicia). The 

 fruit is cut by women and children from the adjacent country, the only 

 work done by the resident-farmer -being the pruning of the vines. 



The vintage season varies from the 15th of September to the end of 

 October. After the grapes are cut, they are carried in open baskets to the 

 " adega," or shed, where they are thrown into large, open stone troughs, 

 called " lagares," containing from ten to thirty pipes. When the "lagar" 

 is tilled with grapes, a gang of men jump in, and forming a close line with 

 their arms on each other's shoulders, advance and retire with measured 

 step, treading the fruit to the sound of the bagpipe, the fife, and the drum. 

 This operation is continued for about thirty-six hours, when the grapes are 

 fully crashed, and fermentation commences. If the must be green, or not 

 superabundant in saccharine, in thirty-six hours it will become a perfect 

 wine ; if the saccharine abound, double that time may be necessary to 

 produce the desired result. 



The regulating, the drawing off the wine into large " tonels," or vats, 

 in which it undergoes its second fermentation, is by no means an easy ope- 

 ration. If rich wine is required, brandy is added in the u lagar," and the 

 fermentation is thus checked. If a dry and pure wine, the fermentation is 

 allowed to take its natural course, and a small quantity of brandy will 

 suffice to keep the wine in a sound and improving state. No wines are 

 made for being kept beyond the year, without some admixture of brandy. 

 Formerly, this was applied to the wine in the " lagar," but since the general 

 use of sulphur, and the consequent taste adhering to the wine, less spirit is 

 now poured into the " lagar," it having been found to confirm the sul- 

 phurous taste. The wines lose this taste if not brandied in their early stage : 

 on the other hand, the wines of late years all require and consume larger 



