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Porto, formerly Portucale,
population 263,000 in 15 parishes, with 1,551,950 in the
metropolitan area, is Portugal's second city. It is the seat
of the Porto district and capital of the Norte region. It is
situated in the north of the country, on the northern bank
of the Douro River, just in from the coast of the Atlantic
Ocean.
The country of Portugal and Port Wine (Portuguese: Vinho do
Porto) owe their names to the city of Porto. One of
Portugal's most internationally appreciated products is Port
Wine. Its name comes from the fact that it ages in cellars
in Porto's southern sister city Vila Nova de Gaia, just
across the river Douro. Port Wine gets its distinctive taste
from brandy that is added during the fermentation process.
This additive causes fermentation to stop, allowing for much
of the sweetness of the grape to remain intact. The results
of this process were discovered quite by accident by British
traders who added the brandy to the wine simply to fortify
it for long sea voyages back to England. |
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