With its otherworldly landscapes– from volcanic islands and forested beaches to high mountain ranges lined with UNESCO-protected vineyards– Portugal is a gold mine of natural splendor. As with many booming traveler destinations, however, certain highlights tend to draw visitors in more strongly than others: Lisbon’s elaborate architecture or the Douro’s serpentine river, for instance. For those eager to explore the country much deeper and in a different way, Vinho Verde awaits.Often confused as a
style of white wine and not a physical place, Vinho Verde includes 9 subregions in the northwest corner of the country, extending all the method approximately the Spanish border. The landscape is one of undulating, verdant hillsides with two rivers streaming throughout (the Minho and the Lima) and varied microclimates that enable special, varied red wines– not all of which are the carbonated design you might expect.