2.5 euro - Wine region Alto Douro

On the 14th December 2001, UNESCO classified as World Heritage, in the category of cultural landscape, an area larger than 26 thousand hectares in Northeastern Portugal, the Upper Douro Wine Region. The commemorative collector coin “Wine Producing Region of Upper Douro” is a part of a series started by the Portuguese Mint and Official Printing Office in 2004 dedicated to World Heritage classified by UNESCO in Portugal. This region has been producing wine for more than 2000 years, including the world famous Port Wine. The Douro Demarcated Region is the oldest regulated winegrowing region in the world. The long tradition on grape growing has originated a cultural landscape of remarkable beauty that reflects its technological, social and economic evolution.
Brainchild of sculptor Armando Alves, the coin presents on the obverse an element that suggests at the same time the flowing river Douro and/ or a vine-plant with two hanging leaves bearing the coat of arms of the Republic and the denomination. The reverse shows the river and the sequence of mountains with their typical terraces, the legend “Alto Douro Vinhateiro”, a reference to the winegrowing Upper Douro, and the Unesco World Heritage logo.