Prehistory - intense human occupation of the Alto Douro, of which important artistic nuclei remain, such as rock paintings and engravings, some paleolithic such as those of the Côa valley (see PT010914170042), megalithic monuments, such as Buraco da Pala (see. PT010407240022), zoomorphic and anthropomorphic sculptures and castros;

 

century. 1 - beginning of Romanization, which redefines the lines of occupation of the territory and economic activities throughout the valley; there is the reoccupation of the castros, occupation of the valleys, where the culture of the olive tree, of the cereals and above all of the vine was introduced or fomented, whose archaeological discoveries have revealed many caterpillars dug in the rock, mills, cellars and others;

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century. 5 to 11 - successive occupation of the Douro valley by the Suebi, Visigoths and Muslims;

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century. 12 - Christian reconquest with continued settlement and cultural miscegenation in the Douro valley; Late Middle Ages - intensification of settlement in the valley, agriculture and exchanges; growth of towns and cities, especially the walled ones; settlement and development of several religious communities, highlighting the economic role of the Cistercian Order, namely Salzedas, São João de Tarouca and São Pedro das Águias, who founded several farms on the slopes of the Douro, in the best areas of wine production, some still existing, perfecting the techniques introduced by the Romans; the Douro River becomes the main transport route for the transportation of products from the region to Porto, at the mouth of the river, which is assumed to be the major distributor of wine for international markets;

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century. 16 - the aromatic wines from the Lamego area were already famous;

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century. 17 - continuation of wine expansion, with changes in wine production technology and greater involvement in European markets; the political situation favors the export of the product to England, which becomes the main consumer until the middle of the century. 19;

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1675 - the designation "Port wine" appears, for the first time, in documents relating to the export of wine to the Netherlands;

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1703 - Treaty of Methuen, between Portugal and England, grants preferential rights to Portuguese wines; century. 18 - Douro wines become dependent on the English market and an increasing number of merchants from that country settle in the city of Porto;

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1727 - foundation of a trading post in Porto by the English colony;

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1756, 10 September - creation of the General Company of Agriculture of the Vineyards of Alto Douro, to regulate the conflicts between the English commercial interests and those of the producers of the Douro; it also ordered the demarcation of the producing region; effective establishment on the ground of the Demarcated Region, marking its perimeter with 201 granitic landmarks (Landmarks that demarcated the production area 

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1761 - new demarcation of the region, placing another 134 marks

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century. 18 - the Company decides to regularize the Douro River, eliminating the points and waterfalls and having the artificial structures that individuals built on the bed destroyed, as well as regulating their use, creating restrictive legislation on the tonnage of boats and the regiment to which the activity should comply. arrais and companions;

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1786 - Hiring José Maria Yola, an Italian from Sardinia, to demolish the Cachão da Valeira;

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1788 - 1792 - demolition of the Cachão da Valeira, allowing the navigability of the Douro upstream and the development of the vineyard for the Douro Superior;

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1852 - great damage to the vine culture in the Baixo and Cima Corgo area caused by powdery mildew;

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1863, from - devastation of the vineyards by phylloxera; 1867 - start of the discussion on the construction of the railway in the region;

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1868 - 1869 - creation of legislation regarding the decommissioning of vacant lots;

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1873 - start of construction of the railway to Pinhão;

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1876 - great effort in the recovery of the vineyards, with the introduction of American rootstocks, on which regional grape varieties were grafted;

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1885/1886 - construction of the railway along the river Tua, until Mirandela;

 

1887 - extension of the railway to Barca de Alva;

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1905 - 1906 - construction of the railway between Mirandela and Bragança;

 

1906 - 1921, between - extension of the railway along the Corgo River;

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1907 - new demarcation of the Port Wine region, which now includes the Douro Superior up to the border with Spain;

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1906/1907/1932 - the Viticulture Commission of the Douro Region, assisted by the Agricultural and Commercial Commission of the Douro Wines and by the Port Wine Export Inspection Commission, ensured the main tasks of controlling production and trade;

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1911 - 1938 - extension of the railway along the River Sabor;

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1926 - creation in Vila Nova de Gaia of the "exclusive" port wine port, considered as an extension of the Douro Demarcated Region, for inspection purposes;

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1932 - creation of Casa do Douro, an organization that regulates production;

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1933 - Creation of the Port Wine Exporters' Guild, to regulate trade, and the Port Wine Institute, with functions of arbitration between sectorial institutions, inspection, quality assurance and promotion of the appellation of origin;

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1932 - 1933 - the State introduced a corporate model of regulation, based on these three bodies, of strong interventionism;

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1935 - setting of parameters for the attribution of production rights for Port Wine, known as "benefit distribution";

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1937 - Casa do Douro starts cadastral services;

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1947 - new elements are considered for better zoning of the demarcated geographical area;

 

1960s, from the end - development of new forms of terrain and surriba, due to lack of manpower, higher wages and the possibility of using powerful surriba machines, planting it came in levels;

 

60's / 70's - construction of the Carrapatelo, Bagaúste, Valeira and Pocinho dams;

 

1974 - Abolition of the corporate model, however, sectoral organizations remain in operation; creation of the Association of Port Wine Exporters, today the Association of Port Wine Companies (AEVP);

 

1980s, from - a new technique for planting the vine, called "vineyard at the top", is being tested;

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1983 - 1990 - Integrated Rural Development Project of Trás-os-Montes

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1985 - 1990, between - Douro Development Program (ORODOURO);

 

1986 - change in the legislation regarding the Warehouse, allowing producers to directly export their wines from the region;

 

1988 - publication of the organic law of the Port Wine Institute;

 

1989 - publication of the Casa do Douro statute;

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1995 - Institution of the Interprofessional Commission for the Douro Demarcated Region (CIRDD);

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2000, 30 June - formal presentation of the application of Alto Douro Wine Region to World Heritage;

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2001, December 14 - classification as World Heritage by Unesco;

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2003 - creation of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto, to control and supervise the production of wine on the spot;

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SOURCE