Which wine region has been building its reputation for over 2,000 years, yet still feels like one of Europe’s newest kids on the block?

A brief timeline.

As early as the 1st century AD, writers such as Seneca the Younger and Pliny the Elder were already referencing vines in the land between the Douro and Minho rivers.

By 870 AD, vineyards were being donated to monasteries. By the 12th century, wines were reaching England, Germany and Flanders, with confirmed exports to the UK by 1788.

In the 16th century, maize farming reshaped the landscape. Vines were pushed to field margins, trained over trees and hedges, and harvested from ladders. A system that still influences the region today.

In 1908, the region became one of Portugal’s first demarcated wine regions. Full DOC status followed in 1984.

Today, it covers around 21,000 hectares, involves thousands of small growers, and produces roughly 85 million litres a year, with more than 85 percent white wine.

The region is Vinho Verde.

And incredibly, only now are many of its vineyards, styles and identities being fully understood.

The result is:

• Premium wines • Single varieties • Clear site expression • Age-worthy bottles

All increasingly visible on international markets.

It is a region with deep roots and a modern outlook, pointing to optimism in an ever-challenging market.

I am proud to play a small part in that ongoing story through my work with Casal de Ventozela and Oakley Wine Agencies.

And next time you reach for a bottle of Vinho Verde, remember just how much history sits behind what is often seen as an “uncomplicated” wine.