The 8th wonder? The Douro’s hanging gardens

Foz Torto’s Abílio Tavares da Silva – Foz Torto means mouth of the river – the photo is self-explantory

It might well be said of Cloudburst’s Will Berliner that he tends his tiny vineyard like a garden (check out Monday’s post).  With 14 hectares under vine, Foz Torto’s Abílio Tavares da Silva (pictured) has rather more land to tend, but it has not stopped him from incorporating a vegetable garden, fruit and nut trees and table grape vines in the midst of his vines for wines.  Like Berliner, he is an entrepreneur turned wine grower/maker and a firm believer in biodiversity.  It’s the first time I’ve seen a vegetable patch incorporated into the Douro’s terraces (though apparently there is a tradition of polyculture). Here are some photos I took earlier this month.

In the heart of the vineyard, Foz Torto vegetable patch and fruit trees.

The number of grapes on this bunch tells you this vine is producing table grapes not wine.

Onions and beans!

The sweetest strawberries

If a little warm (as was I) on the day when it hit 34 degrees.

The longest lemon.

No limp lettuce here – surviving the heat remarkably well.

Explosive rocket/rucola – not so much peppery as full on mustard hot.  Unbelievably spicy.  I rued eating this before a tasting….

Already harvested.

And ready to take away!