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56-473: Alto Douro was one of the 13 regions of continental Portugal identified by geographer Amorim Girão , in a study published between 1927 and 1930. Together with Trás-os-Montes it became Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Province . The style of wines produced in the Douro range from light , Bordeaux -style claret to rich Burgundian -style wines aged in new oak . There is archaeological evidence for winemaking in

112-429: A discontinuity that may have a large influence on the mechanical behavior (strength, deformation, etc.) of rock masses in, for example, tunnel , foundation , or slope construction. A hazard may exist even in undisturbed terrain. On August 17, 1959, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake destabilized a mountain slope near Hebgen Lake , Montana, composed of schist. This caused a massive landslide that killed 26 people camping in

168-553: A schistose metasandstone (if the protolith is known to have been a sandstone ). If all that is known is that the protolith was a sedimentary rock, the schist will be described as a paraschist , while if the protolith was an igneous rock, the schist will be described as an orthoschist . Mineral qualifiers are important when naming a schist. For example, a quartz-feldspar-biotite schist is a schist of uncertain protolith that contains biotite mica, feldspar , and quartz in order of apparent decreasing abundance. Lineated schist has

224-422: A limited number of varieties, but older, mixed vineyards will remain in production for many decades to come. Tr%C3%A1s-os-Montes (region) Trás-os-Montes ( Portuguese pronunciation: [ˌtɾaz uʒ ˈmõtɨʃ] ) is a geographical, historical and cultural region of Portugal . Portuguese for "behind the mountains", Trás-os-Montes is located northeast of the country in an upland area, landlocked by

280-675: A long time. A few more ambitious Douro wines made their appearance from the 1970s, but it was not until the 1990s when a large number of wines made their appearance. A contributing factor was Portugal's entry into the European Economic Community in 1986, which meant that the Port lodges' monopoly was abolished, thus paving the way for producers in the Douro valley to produce and bottle their own wine - Port or dry Douro wines. At this stage, several Port houses also introduced Douro wines into their range. The Douro winemaking region

336-416: A preferred direction in schist, often also forming very thin parallel layers. The ease with which the rock splits along the aligned grains accounts for the schistosity. Though not a defining characteristic, schists very often contain porphyroblasts (individual crystals of unusual size) of distinctive minerals, such as garnet , staurolite , kyanite , sillimanite , or cordierite . Because schists are

392-412: A strong linear fabric in a rock which otherwise has well-developed schistosity. Schistosity is developed at elevated temperature when the rock is more strongly compressed in one direction than in other directions ( nonhydrostatic stress ). Nonhydrostatic stress is characteristic of regional metamorphism where mountain building is taking place (an orogenic belt ). The schistosity develops perpendicular to

448-408: A very large class of metamorphic rock, geologists will formally describe a rock as a schist only when the original type of the rock prior to metamorphism (the protolith ) is unknown and its mineral content is not yet determined. Otherwise, the modifier schistose will be applied to a more precise type name, such as schistose semipelite (when the rock is known to contain moderate amounts of mica) or

504-731: Is also more prone to summer thunderstorms than any other place in the country, due to its distance from the Azores High . Two cities from Trás-os-Montes, Chaves and Bragança also hold the record for the highest air pressure ever recorded in Portugal, 1050.3 hPa. Trás-os-Montes stands out mainly for its landscape contrasts. To the north is the Montesinho Natural Park , to the east the Douro International Natural Park , bordering Spain, to

560-522: Is discernible, the schist is usually given a name reflecting its protolith, such as schistose metasandstone . Otherwise, the names of the constituent minerals will be included in the rock name, such as quartz-felspar-biotite schist . Schist bedrock can pose a challenge for civil engineering because of its pronounced planes of weakness . The word schist is derived ultimately from the Greek word σχίζειν ( schízein ), meaning "to split", which refers to

616-400: Is due, in part, to the decline of the instrument, whose tradition had been maintained orally and was already being lost. However, today there are many old recordings and collections of this instrument available through the work of many ethnomusicologists . It shares various structural aspects with the sanabresa or alistana bagpipes. The gastronomy of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro reflects

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672-482: Is the orientation of grains in the surrounding medium-grained rock. The composition of the rock must permit formation of abundant platy minerals. For example, the clay minerals in mudstone are metamorphosed to mica, producing a mica schist. Early stages of metamorphism convert mudstone to a very fine-grained metamorphic rock called slate , which with further metamorphism becomes fine-grained phyllite . Further recrystallization produces medium-grained mica schist. If

728-418: Is uncommon but can form from metamorphosis of sedimentary beds containing abundant organic carbon . This may be of algal origin. Graphite schist is known to have experienced greenschist facies metamorphism , for example in the northern Andes . Metamorphosis of felsic volcanic rock , such as tuff, can produce quartz- muscovite schist. In geotechnical engineering a schistosity plane often forms

784-802: The Alto Rabagão and Venda Nova reservoirs are built. In the Azibo River , a tributary of the Sabor, the Azibo reservoir is established, a protected natural area of tourist interest. The Sabor river gives rise to the Baixo Sabor reservoir, one of the largest in the region. Nearby are those located in the International Douro: Castro , Miranda , Picote , Bemposta , Aldeadávila and Saucelle . Half of Portuguese ownership and

840-604: The Province of Salamanca , or El Zangarrón de Montamarta, in the Province of Zamora . The gaita transmontana or gaita mirandesa is among the most archaic known bagpipe models, in terms of its tuning and mode. Contrary to what happens with the Galician bagpipe or the Scottish bagpipe , for example, the mirandesa bagpipe has recently been recovered, so its repertoire is almost all traditional, with few modern compositions. This

896-494: The 1970s which identified Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão and Tinta Barroca as the prime dark-skinned grape varieties. Tinta Amarela and the teinturier Sousão has later come to be included among the varieties that attract the most interest. This work was important for creating the new wave of top Douro wines and has also led to a greater focus on the grape varieties that go into Port wine. Most top quintas now replant with single-variety vineyards and focus on

952-489: The 1976 Constitution. The proposal for regionalization subject to a referendum in 1998 (having been rejected) foresaw the creation of the Trás-os-Montes region, in every way the same as the province of 1936, with the exception of including one more municipality ( Mêda ). Schist Schist ( / ˈ ʃ ɪ s t / SHIST ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity (named for

1008-456: The 19th century, Trás-os-Montes included the districts of Bragança , Miranda, Torre de Moncorvo and Vila Real . In the interior of its territory, the Ervededo couto was located, which depended on the comarca of Braga ( Province of Entre-Douro-e-Minho ). The Province of Trás-os-Montes remained in the administrative division of 1832. At that time, it had a prefect - a magistrate representing

1064-531: The Asturian language. Caretos de Podence is a masquerade held in the town of Podence , belonging to the municipality of Macedo de Cavaleiros , which has been declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco. Inserted in the winter festivals, so characteristic in the Trás-os-Montes region, the Caretos represent diabolical and mysterious images that every year, since time immemorial, have been out on

1120-662: The Douro and Tâmega rivers to south and west and by the Spanish communities of Galicia and Castile and León to the north and east. This relative isolation has led to the survival of cultural traditions that mark the Portuguese identity. On the other hand, its extreme continentality also contributed to the lack of development, which led its inhabitants to seek better conditions on the coast or emigrate to other European countries such as France , Luxembourg and Switzerland , and to Brazil . The name of Trás-os-Montes refers to

1176-616: The Terra Fria (Cold Land) and the Terra Quente (Hot Land). The Terra Fria is the area with very cold and prolonged winters, with warm to hot and dry summers, while the Terra Quente has shorter winters, although equally cold, with very hot and dry summers that show their influence even in spring and fall, they are shorter than normal. Due to its continentality, Trás-os-Montes has the coldest winters in Portugal, with January temperatures varying between 7–11 °C (45–52 °F) during

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1232-400: The area of action of a main frontier, a military commander who was assigned the operational command of the province's troops on campaign. From the 17th century onwards, the province was divided into several corrections (also called comarcas), each with its own corregedor. The province then became just a statistical unit and a military region commanded by a governor of arms. At the beginning of

1288-477: The average fish-eating habits of the Portuguese . Posta à mirandesa is one of the most recognizable dishes in Trás-os-Montes, along with javali no pote ( wild boar ), marrã à moda de Mesão Frio (pig), cabrito assado à transmontana or milhos à moda de Trás-os-Montes (similar to a cozido à portuguesa with milho-branco (crushed corn) instead of vegetables); though seafood dishes also made their way in

1344-594: The boundaries have slightly changed since its creation, traditionally, the territory comprising Trás-os-Montes is limited up north with Galicia , to the east with Castile and León , to the west with the Tâmega River and to the south with the Douro River . Geomorphologically the mountainous Trás-os-Montes region forms a continuum with the Galician Massif , so that it is considered as a whole under

1400-571: The central government - and a provincial general council - a local authority, elected locally. The province was divided into the districts of Bragança, Chaves, Moncorvo and Vila Real. The counties, which were not provincial headquarters, each had a sub-prefect, who represented the prefect. By the administrative reform of 1835, Portugal was divided into districts. The division into provinces was maintained, but these became mere groupings of districts for statistical and regional reference purposes, without their own bodies. The Province of Trás-os-Montes joined

1456-505: The day and 0–3 °C (32–37 °F) during the night; and has rather hot summers, with July and August temperatures varying between 26–32 °C (79–90 °F) during the day and 12–15 °C (54–59 °F) during the night, 33–34 °C (91–93 °F) in low-lying valleys. The overall climate is Mediterranean , but rainfall is much more distributed throughout the year than in other regions of Portugal, making it relatively close to an oceanic or humid subtropical climate . This region

1512-424: The difficulties experienced by the local populations of the region which had to adapt their diet to survive in the desolate region. Much of the local enchidos are made with every part of the animal, lard and bread soups were made, and high durability ingredients, such as chestnuts and casulas (bean pods that were left to dry and then cooked) were used. Dishes are mostly meat-based, a significant contrast from

1568-456: The direction of greatest compression, also called the shortening direction, as platy minerals are rotated or recrystallized into parallel layers. While platy or elongated minerals are most obviously reoriented, even quartz or calcite may take up preferred orientations. At the microscopic level, schistosity is divided into internal schistosity , in which inclusions within porphyroblasts take a preferred orientation, and external schistosity , which

1624-526: The districts of Bragança and Vila Real. The province, now named Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro and encompassing some municipalities on the left bank of the Douro , was reinstated by the administrative reform of 1936, in accordance with the Constitution of 1933 ( Estado Novo ). The new provinces were created, based on a geographical study by geographer Amorim Girão that identified 13 "natural regions" in

1680-497: The earliest known mention of "Port wine" dates from 1675. The Methuen Treaty between Portugal and England in 1703, and the subsequent establishment of many British Port lodges in Porto meant that Port wine became the primary product of the region, and it became economically very important to Portugal. As part of the regulation of the production and trade of this valuable commodity, a royal Portuguese charter of 10 September 1756 defined

1736-425: The ease with which schists can be split along the plane in which the platy minerals lie. Before the mid-19th century, the terms slate , shale and schist were not sharply differentiated by those involved with mining. Geologists define schist as medium-grained metamorphic rock that shows well-developed schistosity. Schistosity is a thin layering of the rock produced by metamorphism (a foliation ) that permits

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1792-573: The first ambitious Douro wine is Fernando Nicolau de Almeida , who worked as an oenologist with the Port house Ferreira . He visited Bordeaux during World War II , which gave him inspiration for creating a top-quality table wine. The wine Barca Velha, first produced in 1952 using grapes from Quinta do Vale de Meão situated in the Douro Superior subregion, was the result. Barca Velha didn't immediately get many followers, since most Port wine houses remained uninterested in non-fortified wines for

1848-701: The geographical and human disposition. The following important rivers yield their waters to it: the Sabor River , the Tua River and the Corgo River , whose courses served to channel rail transport in the region. Another important river is the Tâmega , which serves as the boundary of the region to the west. One of its tributaries is the Rabagão River , which also serves to delimit the region and on which

1904-416: The local cuisine: Bacalhau à bruxa de Valpaços or Polvo à transmontana (octopus) are also well known. Sweet foods include Doce Teixeira (made with lemon and cinnamon), Pudim de castanha (chestnut pudding ), and variants of classic Portuguese recipes such as Papos-de-anjo de Mirandela or Toucinho-do-céu de Murça . Trás-os-Montes was one of the six major administrative divisions into which

1960-435: The location to the east of mountains such as Marão , Alvão and Gerês , which separate the interior from the coast, and which form a valley around the Douro River . These natural barriers have kept this region of Portugal depopulated and poor for several centuries, being the reason that many of its inhabitants were forced to emigrate to the coast or to other countries such as Brazil, France, Luxembourg or Switzerland. Though

2016-527: The metamorphism proceeds further, the mica schist experiences dehydration reactions that convert platy minerals to granular minerals such as feldspars, decreasing schistosity and turning the rock into a gneiss. Other platy minerals found in schists include chlorite, talc, and graphite. Chlorite schist is typically formed by metamorphism of ultramafic igneous rocks, as is talc schist. Talc schist also forms from metamorphosis of talc-bearing carbonate rocks formed by hydrothermal alteration . Graphite schist

2072-725: The name 'Galicia-Trás-os-Montes Zone'. This region is made up of two main districts, both to the right (north) of the Douro River: Vila Real and Bragança , included as part of the North Region of Portugal , the other district is made up of 5 other municipalities in the south of the Douro River. , all of them included in Viseu and Guarda, all of them being part of the Central region The most important cities in

2128-627: The northeastern corner of the region, known as Tierra de Miranda , Mirandese is spoken, a dialect of the Asturian language , which is officially recognized in Trás-os-Montes under Law No. 7 / 99, of January 29, 1999, of official recognition of the linguistic rights of the Miranda community. It is spoken by about 15,000 people in the municipalities of Miranda do Douro, Mogadouro and Vimioso. International organizations such as SIL International grant it its own code, others such as Unesco frame it within

2184-543: The northwest the Peneda-Gerês National Park , to the east the Marão and Alvão mountains and to the south the region of Alto Douro Vinhateiro , declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco on December 14, 2001. The northeast of the region is declared a biosphere reserve by Unesco under the name of Meseta Ibérica. The Douro is the most outstanding river in this territory and the backbone of the relief and

2240-585: The other half Spanish. Undoubtedly the most important hydroelectric infrastructure in the region is the Alto Douro Vinhateiro navigation channel, which makes it possible for tourist cruises to transit from Porto to the Spanish border at Barca d’Alva . It is possible thanks to the locks of the Pocinho , Valeira , Régua , Carrapatelo and Crestuma-Lever dams. In addition to Portuguese, in

2296-510: The other two divisions being gneiss , which has poorly developed schistosity and thicker layering, and granofels , which has no discernible schistosity. Schists are defined by their texture without reference to their composition, and while most are a result of medium-grade metamorphism, they can vary greatly in mineral makeup. However, schistosity normally develops only when the rock contains abundant platy minerals, such as mica or chlorite . Grains of these minerals are strongly oriented in

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2352-400: The process of mountain building ( orogeny ) and usually reflects a medium grade of metamorphism. Schist can form from many different kinds of rocks, including sedimentary rocks such as mudstones and igneous rocks such as tuffs . Schist metamorphosed from mudstone is particularly common and is often very rich in mica (a mica schist ). Where the type of the original rock (the protolith )

2408-408: The production of wine from the region (called port wine ) as well as a large number of natural agricultural products. Granite and mineral water are also very important industries in the region. Trás-os-Montes is known by locals as the land of "10 months of winter and 2 months of hell" ( dez meses de inverno e dois meses de inferno ). The region has always been divided into two climatic zones, known as

2464-481: The production region for Port wine. It thus became the world's first wine region to have a formal demarcation. The vineyards covered by this demarcation were situated in the western part of the present region. Later, the vineyards have progressively expanded to the east into hotter and drier areas. Douro was not spared from the vine diseases of the 19th century. Powdery mildew (oidium) struck in 1852 and Phylloxera in 1863. While table wine has always been produced in

2520-481: The region are: Vila Real , Bragança , Chaves , Mirandela , Macedo de Cavaleiros , Lamego , Peso da Régua , Miranda do Douro and Valpaços . All of them are relatively small and populated with less than 50,000 inhabitants. Many people in this region live in small towns. Traditionally these villages were disconnected from the coast due to the lack of good roads, and thus suffered the effects of poverty and isolation. In these cases it can be understood that immigration

2576-505: The region dating from the end of the Western Roman Empire , during the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, although grape seeds have also been found at older archaeological sites. In Medieval times from the mid-12th century, Cistercians had an important influence on winemaking in the region, through their three monasteries Salzedas, São João de Tarouca and São Pedro das Águias. In the 17th century, the region's vineyards expanded, and

2632-414: The region, for a long time little of it was seen outside the region itself. The Port lodges were focused on the production and export of Port wine, which was their unique product on the export market, and had little interest in other wine styles. Thus, while the wines could be good, for a long time, there was no attempt to use Douro grapes to produce more ambitious table wine. The person credited with creating

2688-424: The rock to easily be split into flakes or slabs less than 5 to 10 millimeters (0.2 to 0.4 in) thick. The mineral grains in a schist are typically from 0.25 to 2 millimeters (0.01 to 0.08 in) in size and so are easily seen with a 10× hand lens . Typically, over half the mineral grains in a schist show a preferred orientation. Schists make up one of the three divisions of metamorphic rock by texture , with

2744-457: The rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens , oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes or plates. This texture reflects a high content of platy minerals, such as mica , talc , chlorite , or graphite . These are often interleaved with more granular minerals, such as feldspar or quartz . Schist typically forms during regional metamorphism accompanying

2800-545: The streets at carnival festivals. Interrupting the long silences of each winter, as if secretly and unpredictably emerging from the corners of Podence, the Caretos and their frenzied cowbells appear well crossed in the colored stripes of the thick blankets of their suits. They are similar to those held in towns in the Spanish Leonese Region such as La Bufa de San Antón in Aldeadávila de la Ribera , in

2856-471: The territory of Portugal was divided in the 15th century. The division was known as Comarca until the 16th century, from then on to being known as Province . Until the 17th century, the Province of Trás-os-Montes constituted a correctional office, administered by a corregedor (a magistrate with judicial and administrative functions). At the same time, in the event of war, the province also constituted

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2912-466: The territory of mainland Portugal. The natural region of Trás-os-Montes and the natural region of Alto Douro were grouped into the province of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. However, the provinces never had any practical attribution, and disappeared from the administrative scene (although not from the daily vocabulary of the Portuguese) with the constitutional revision of 1959, not being recovered by

2968-475: The west to the east: Terraced vineyards are very common in the Douro region. Vineyards dedicated to Port production are usually planted on schist while areas with granite -based soils are used for table wine production. The principal grape varieties of the Douro region include the black grapes Bastardo , Mourisco tinto , Tinta Amarela , Tinta Barroca , Tinta Cão , Tinta Roriz (the same as Spain's Tempranillo), Touriga Francesa and Touriga Nacional , and

3024-455: The white grapes Donzelinho branco , Gouveio , Malvasia Fina , Rabigato , and Viosinho . A large number of grape varieties are grown in the Douro region, most of them local Portuguese grapes. For a long time, the grape varieties grown in the Douro were not very well studied. Vineyards of mixed plantation were the norm, and most of the time, the vineyard owners didn't know which grape varieties they were growing. A pioneering effort were made in

3080-464: Was declared a World Heritage Site in 2001. The Douro wine region is situated around the Douro river valley and lower valleys of its tributaries Varosa , Corgo , Távora , Torto , and Pinhão . The region is sheltered from Atlantic winds by the Marão and Montemuro mountains and has a continental climate , with hot and dry summers and cold winters. It is usually subdivided into three subregions, from

3136-475: Was the only solution. Today the situation has improved with better roads and communications, but most populations continue to lose population, especially young people who prefer to go to large cities where there are usually more amenities and more opportunities to run a career. In the small villages, agricultural activity is maintained at a good pace, so that it is still possible to obtain good: corn, wheat, olive oil, chestnuts and some delicate grapes widely used in

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