Travel: Portugal

I THOUGHT you Scots were made of hardier stuff than this," says our host as she leads us through the ordered lines of vines. Normally, a national slur like that would spur me on, but I'm afraid to say I barely had the energy left to agree with her.

A "gentle stroll before lunch" had ended with us being high up in the Duoro Valley - just after noon. We were small, overheated dots perched among the millions of vines planted on serried terraces, stretching out as far as the eye could see.

Think of Portugal and most of you will think automatically of the Algarve.

If I ask you to redirect your thoughts further north, a few of you might think of Lisbon, but go further north still and you'll find some of the most beautiful landscapes - and wines - in Europe.

It's an area that should be familiar to Scots as so many of the big port shippers were originally founded by men from hereabouts. Names such as Sandeman, Warre, Graham and Symington are all instantly familiar to us.

We started at Porto - which is synonymous with port wine. And although it is where the big shippers have their lodges, the wine itself is grown a few hours inland in the Duoro Valley.

Protected by four mountain ranges, the valley has a unique climate peculiarly suited to wine grapes - if not to Scottish complexions.

It has bitterly cold winters and blisteringly hot, dry summers. It can be anything up to 15 degrees warmer inland than in Porto.

We travelled in May and nearly everyone we met told us how lucky we - and our pale Scottish skins - were that it wasn't really hot.

Even though the mercury was nudging 42 degrees in new money, we were repeatedly told that it was good we hadn't caught the real heat of the summer.

All that sun is needed though, as the more sun the grapes get, the sweeter and more potent the resultant wine will be.

The valley is almost completely covered with the small, gnarled vines that produce the grapes. Terraces have been cut into the hillside, with each like the markings on an ordnance survey map come to life.

Cutting through the valley is the Duoro river which not only supplies the water the vines rely on, but was also the main way of transporting the wines from the estates (quintas) to the warehouses where they are stored and matured in Porto.

Because of that, the road into the valley is almost a bit of an afterthought.

The quintas have been there forever and it would be more than any road builder would dare to uproot them for a strip of tarmac. Poetic though that may sound, it means you should really take your travel sickness tablets before leaving the city as the road winds and snakes up and down and in and out.

There are, of course, other ways of getting into the valley. Luxurious boat trips take a leisurely day or two. Or you can let the train take the strain.

The Lihna do Douro follows the line of the river exactly and there are wonderfully decorative stations along the route that perfectly capture the golden age of rail travel - all of which can be added to if you take one of the tourist trains pulled by steam engines.

Once in the valley, however you travel there, you are warmly clasped to the Portuguese bosom.

Many of the quintas run tours of their vineyards and legares, showing you the different approaches to making port. We visited the Sandeman Quinta do Seixo - easily located by the enormous 'Sandeman Don' logo that dominates the skyline.

This quinta takes a modern, hi-tech, approach to port production with robots that mimic the feet of traditional grape treaders.

At the end of the tour we were led out on to a beautiful terrace which gave a breathtaking view over the whole region and proved to be the perfect spot for a refreshing glass of chilled white port - or two.

Traditional treading by hand - or, rather, by foot - is still employed on a number of estates producing vintage ports, even those that are now owned by the big boys like Croft and Symington.

At the Quinta do Panascal we were shown the great stone legares where the harvested grapes are treaded - a beautifully cool room, which was most welcome after our exceptionally hot trip around the vines. Of course, every tour has to end with a sample of the wares and here we were introduced to pink port served with soda.

Along with tawny, vintage, crusted and colheita ports, we were encouraged to taste everything. Not that there had to be much arm twisting, you understand.

After a hard day's wine tasting - sorry, walking - you appreciate somewhere lovely to lay your head. On the other side of the river at Pinhao, an 18th-century port lodge has been tastefully converted into a luxury hotel.

The Vintage House Hotel used to be the main staging post for barrels to head down the river to Porto, but now serves as a wonderful spot to base yourselves as you explore the valley. All the rooms, which have a balcony or terrace and overlook the gardens and swimming pool, are cool and airy - a great respite from the searing heat outside.

And, as you watch the sun set over the vines, what could possibly improve your day? Perhaps a glass or two of vintage port?

TAP flies from Gatwick to Porto from 50.

A night at the Vintage House Hotel starts at €125 per person (www.csvintagehouse.com).

A tour around Sandeman's Quinta Do Seixo starts from €5 for a classic visit, going up to €25 for a vineyard picnic tour (www.sandeman.eu). Quinta do Panascal has just opened a new visitor centre (http://quintadopanascalvisitorscentre.wordpress.com/) and also provides tours.

This article was first published in Scotland On Sunday, 23 January, 2011