The Douro Region: Wine and Tourism

The Demarcated Douro Region (DDR) dates from 1756, when it was recognized as one of the first demarcated regions in the world. The DDR economic activities fit the terroir model and are based on wine and tourism. Both activities have witnessed deep and structural changes along the last three decades, with influence in the current socio-economic performance of the region. The objective of this paper is to present the recent evolution of the DDR wine filiere and tourism. The Port wine continues to be the star product of DDR, with almost 90% being exported. However, along the last decade the still wines evolved from being almost unknown to a position of a national and international recognition in market niches. The tourism in Douro region is connected to the wine filiere and tends to be structured under two dominant influences: the river and the terroir.