For the past several weeks, I have been writing about my virtual globe-trotting wine-tasting adventures. My latest stop on this international review is a country known more for its sweet, fortified reds than for the powerful-yet-graceful wines that Portugal has recently added to its “port-folio.”

Portugal, a thin strip of land roughly the size of Indiana, is on the Iberian Peninsula in Western Europe. Spain literally wraps around the northern and eastern borders, while the cool Atlantic Ocean lies to the west. The temperate waters of the Gulf of Cadiz form the southern border. Although grapes are grown throughout the country, the most notable wine-producing districts are inland, away from the maritime influences of the Atlantic. The main red wine-producing region in the north is the Douro Valley, best known for growing touriga francesa and touriga nacional, the two main grape varietals found in Port wines.