🇵🇹Country
Terraces on the Alto Douro’s steep hillsides
In Portugal’s Alto Douro, the shape of a terrace tells something about how growers worked a steep hillside. UNESCO’s account describes a shift from narrow, irregular terraces to broader ones.
At a glance
A place worth remembering
What the vineyard walls reveal
UNESCO describes pre-1860 terraces as narrow, irregular steps held by stone walls, with room for one or two vine rows. Later terraces are broader and slightly sloped so more sunlight reaches the vines. It says terraces here were built with different techniques over the centuries.[1]
Stone walls need upkeep
For pre-phylloxera socalcos, UNESCO notes that schist retaining walls need ongoing upkeep.[1]
Rebuilt after phylloxera
UNESCO dates the long, regularly shaped lines of continuous terraces to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the vineyards were rebuilt after the phylloxera attack. It says the new terraces changed the landscape, through their monumental walls and because they were wider and slightly sloped.[1]
Good to know
A few clear answers before you explore.
When was the Alto Douro inscribed on the World Heritage List?
UNESCO lists the Alto Douro Wine Region as inscribed in 2001.[1]
What stone does UNESCO identify in the terrace walls?
The source identifies schist in the walls of socalcos.[1]
Since when has Port wine quality been defined and regulated?
UNESCO says Port wine’s quality has been defined and regulated since 1756.[1]
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