"Wine are like men, as long as time goes by, bad sour, and good improve..." Cícero

Wine is widely celebrated all over Portugal with a wealth of excellent quality wines being produced in this beautiful country. And there are plenty of places where you can buy bottles of wine while you are on holiday. Do not forget to take some home as souvenirs too!

Portugal has two wine producing regions classified as UNESCO sites. The first is the important wine region of Douro which has the country’s highest wine classification, Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) and is the oldest established wine producing region in the world, dating back to 1756. This area is primarily associated with Port wine production and also produces large amounts of non-fortified wines, often referred to as ‘Douro wines’.

The second region is the Pico Island wine region (Paisagem e Vinhas da Ilha do Pico) in the Azores, where a unique way of growing grapes has evolved since the 15th century. The extraordinary viniculture here demonstrates how farmers have ingeniously developed grape cultivation on a volcanic island. Flat land on the coast has been transformed into a network of fields with man-made walls of rock to protect the vines from harsh Atlantic sea winds and salt.

A vast amount of grapes are grown in Portugal and so there is a fantastic variety on offer with different tastes and textures. In some places, the wine is still made traditionally. First, people pick the grapes, pour them into a big tank and tread them with their feet. The next step is the alcoholic fermentation, which gives each wine its individual taste.

Portugal Live has put together a more detailed guide to the main wine regions in Portugal and the fantastic wines you can expect to sample on holiday. Click on wines on the right for further information.

Historically Portugal was a major force in economic trade, was at the forefront of naval explorations during the Age of Discovery and became the first global empire in history thanks to successful naval voyages and making connections with other countries.

During the Renaissance Portugal became the world’s leading economic power forging links with Africa, Brazil, India, China, Japan and many other countries, consequently building a trade system that spanned many continents. But the country’s fortunes took a turn in 1822 when Portugal lost its main colony, Brazil and then other territories in Africa.

Another major event which greatly effected Portugal’s economy over the years was the creation of the Estado Novo – also known as the Second Republic – which manifested following much political unrest in 1933. Portugal was ruled by António de Oliveira Salazar until the late 1960s. An important part of Salazar’s policy was to advocate the retention of Portuguese colonies around the world and strengthen the economy. Then there was another regime change in 1974 after a military coup and Portugal was transformed from dictatorship to democracy.

Fast forward a little and Portugal adopted the Euro in 1999 which has played a major part in the country’s economic fortunes. Britain, Germany, France and other EC countries are Portugal's principal trading partners and this relatively small and beautiful country still has to rely quite heavily on foreign trade.

Total imports (primarily food and beverages, wheat, crude oil, machinery, automobiles and raw materials) have been greater than total exports (of which the most important are textiles, clothing, footwear, paper pulp, wine, cork and tomato paste).

Portugal depends heavily on the importation of petroleum and petroleum-based products.

Coal, the production of which has decreased since the mid-1990s, accounts for about five percent of the country's energy use.

More than half of Portugal's electricity is provided by renewable energy with the largest hydroelectric power station at Alto Lindoso dam and around 100 smaller hydro centres elsewhere.

Tungsten, tin, chromium and other alloy metals are mined in commercial quantities and most of the tungsten is exported.

The banking and insurance industries in Portugal were nationalised in 1975, and subsequently went private in the 1980s.

By the early 1990s the national banks and insurance firms continued to account for 80 percent and 60 percent of their markets, respectively.

Financial markets have developed since Portugal joined the European Community.

Wherever you stay while holidaying in Portugal, you will be able to find a bank to withdraw cash from the ATM or change money and traveller’s cheques. In fact, Portugal has one of Europe’s leading ATM systems called Multibanco that links 27 banks in Portugal. It offers a variety of functions to help customers pay bills, shop online, top-up mobile phones amongst many other helpful services – so withdrawing extra cash to treat yourself while visiting Portugal is all the more convenient.

The main crops grown in Portugal are cereals (wheat, barley, corn and rice), potatoes, grapes (for wine), olives and tomatoes.

Portugal is one of the world's largest exporters of tomato paste and a leading exporter of wines. These overseas sales help offset the cost of imported wheat and meat.

More than one-third of Portugal is forested. Most of the mountainous areas are well suited to forestry and forest products, such as cork, resins and pine and eucalyptus timber. The market value of these natural products has increased and there is a growing demand for the industry.

Portugal's long coastline and the abundance of fish in the surrounding waters have favoured the development of the fishing industry. Sardines, anchovies and tuna caught near the coasts, together with other species such as codfish from the North Atlantic, largely contribute to food supplies. The fish industry has prospered and its products are exported all over the world.

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