A hop through the vineyards of Portugal's stunning Douro Valley

Approaching a wine region regularly touted as one of the world's most picturesque - along a road recently named the world's best for driving enthusiasts, thanks to its ratio of bends to straights - you suspect you're in for a treat. But nothing prepares me for just how staggeringly beautiful northern Portugal's Douro Valley is.

Hugging every curve of the Rio Douro, we sweep along the N222 from Regua to Pinhao, past endless terraced vineyards carved into the steep hillsides. Criss-crossed by narrow dirt roads and dotted with olive groves, centuries-old (estates), many still family-run, look down on the deep green waters below.

See also:Rise of Douro wines from Portugal has put port back in spotlight

Despite being the oldest demarcated wine region in the world (and a World Heritage site to boot), the 250,000-hectare Douro Valley is something of an unsung hero in the European wine world. For centuries, the Douro was known only for port, the fortified wine named for Porto, the city downriver, where it was aged in oak barrels.

Since the 1990s, however, the Douro has been making a name for itself as a producer of top-quality red table wine. The extreme climate - "nine months of winter and three months of hell", the locals like to say - and soaring schist-soiled slopes are ideal for bold reds, ranging from light, Bordeaux-style claret to rich, Burgundian-style wines aged in new oak. Some winemakers are even producing crisp-edged whites.

Emerging from the shadows of their European counterparts, Douro Valley wines have caught the attention of serious oenophiles, although many were still surprised to see a port - Dow's Vintage Port 2011 - nab the top spot in last year's influential magazine's Top 100 list. Two other Douro reds cracked the top five, also from the heralded 2011 vintage, which was declared the best in 50 years by some vintners.