When describing the Douro Valley, Dirk Niepoort proclaims it the 'hardest, most impressive, intense and expressive wine region in the world. It is more complicated than any other wine area I know, usually southern exposure is the best, but in the Douro we have about 45,000 hectares under vine, with vineyards ranging from 80 to 800 meters. The soils are mostly schist but there are variations within the schist, as well as granitic soils.