While it is easy to be seduced by Adelaide, the €100 a bottle 2009 field blend from Vallado, the real power of this Douro Boy lies in his entry level 2009 blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Souzao. 2,400 vs. 230,000 bottles and at €7, one of the best Douro deals outside of Pingo Doce, the 50%-off specialists.

When Clare came back from Dublin last month, she brought along a bottle of Quinta do Vallado Reserva, recommended by an Irish sommelier. We enjoyed it with Sunday lunch. Visiting the winery in the Douro less than a month later completes the circle and confirms vino tourism as a vital part of the lifestyle offering of wine, even if it is all too often hijacked by freeloading mayors and quangos such as Great Wine Capitals of the World.