Terra Quente

Terra Quente, in the south, consists of the valleys of the upper Douro River and its tributaries. In this region, the traditional method of making port wine by treading the grapes has been almost entirely replaced by modern vinification techniques. The Alto Rabagão hydroelectric project…

…a Mediterranean climate, creating a terra quente (“hot country”). The high Beiras plain is bounded on the northwest by the Caramulo (3,527 feet [1,075 metres]) and Montemuro mountains (4,531 feet [1,381 metres]) and their foothills; the plain is flanked to the south and southeast by the granite and schist escarpment…