Port’s stuffy reputation and its relegation to holiday-only wine status is decidedly undeserved. It is a complex, versatile, sweet wine with a long history, and it comes in a variety of styles to please any palate. Produced in the dramatic Douro Valley in northern Portugal, Port is made from a variety of native grapes grown on impossibly steep terraces, some 2,000 years old. The special soil and climate make intensely flavourful, sweet grapes. Neutral grape spirit is added to the grapes to stop fermentation, increase the alcohol content and preserve some sweetness.
John Wellington says Chaves to Faro might lack the glamour of the original Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles, but for a European road trip it s unbeatable .