Impressions of the Douro harvest

I have just returned from the Douro, where this year's harvest began as early as August, much earlier than the mid-September norm. For those who have never seen the Douro Valley, it is a marvel – not unlike the Norwegian fjords except green in colour and, thanks to only recently improved communications and infrastructure, it seems to have been in a time capsule for the last 50 years. The landscape is hypnotising, with vineyards as far as the eye can see following the sinuous curves of the mountains which frame the river and its tributaries. Practically the only crops are...