My main reason for visiting the Douro Valley was to see and learn about the production of their port wines (click here.) Port wine, named after the city of Porto, is produced from grapes grown in the Douro Valley. Also, known as a “fortified wine,” port wine has an additive that halts the aging process and not only makes it very sweet but also makes for a very high alcoholic content 19 – 22%. By comparison, most table wines are in the 8 – 14% range (see chart.)
Cruising the river, you see several of the wineries with their signs posted on the hills kind of like the Hollywood sign you always see. We toured the Sandeman Winery which has a very distinct Zorro kind of logo going for it. Video below will give you a good overview of Sandeman’s operations along with a general description of different types of port wine. I am in the process of ordering and stocking some ports so if any of you like a sweet but potent wine, Buzzy’s Country Store will help fortify you.
All this talk of the Sandman can only lead to the following video. Think Lars and the boys were drinking some port wine when they wrote and recorded this?