There's a reason why Portugal keeps popping up in conversations with fellow wine geeks - they make fabulous vino! Portugal may share the Iberian Peninsula with Spain but the country has its own rich legacy of winemaking. In fact, Portugal's famed Douro Valley is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world and is recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Celebrated for their fortified Port wine, Portugual also produces a wide variety of white and red wines from indigenous and international grapes.

I've yet to visit Portugal but I took my palate on a Portuguese wine adventure with José Luis Moreira da Silva, resident winemaker of Quinta dos Murças in the Douro Valley. Quinta dos Murças is owned by Esporão; founded in 1973, they are a leading family-owned producer of wines and olive oils in Portugal. Their flagship estate, Herdade do Esporão, is located about 100 miles southeast of Lisbon in Alentejo.

A native of Porto, José Luis joined Esporão in 2015 and as the resident winemaker at Quinta dos Murças he believes that "the vineyard should speak to you in some way." In his opinion, "less intervention leads to more balanced wines" and his philosophy is to "interfere as little as possible with the process and uncover the real identity of each vineyard to obtain the truest expression of the terroir." Quinta dos Murças provides many opportunities for authentic expression - it has 8 unique terroirs influenced by factors such as mountains, altitude, climate, and soil. 

Read more at source: The Daily Meal