The annual grape harvest is taking place in Portugal's Douro Valley, a world-famous wine region. This year, intense heat caused grapes to ripen faster, so harvesting started one to two weeks earlier than usual. Despite the earlier start, wine production in the region is expected to grow by 25 percent compared to last season, reaching 1.4 million hectolitres.
Visitors can experience this age-old tradition through special travel programs. Portugal's national rail operator, CP, is running a one-day harvest train trip from Porto on September 19 and 26. Passengers travel to a traditional wine estate where they wear straw hats, pick grapes with clippers and buckets, and enjoy local meals.
After picking the fruit, visitors can participate in lagarada, the traditional practice of treading grapes by foot in large stone tanks. Travelers can also take river cruises along the Douro River to visit local wineries, listen to traditional folk songs, and taste famous Port wines.