This UNESCO cover from Portugal depicts a single stamp issued in 2012, celebrating the "Alto Douro Wine Region", inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. The beautifully unique landscape of the Douro was one of the reasons that made it a World Heritage site in 2001. One of the criteria on which UNESCO based this decision was the importance of the human hand in the shaping of the landscape, using traditional methods and transforming it from a sterile land. The cultural landscape of the Alto Douro is an outstanding example of a traditional European wine-producing region, reflecting the evolution of this human activity over time.” Another criterion was that the “cultural landscape of the Alto Douro is an outstanding example of a traditional European wine producing region, reflecting the evolution of this human activity over time. Unesco also highlights the traces of the remaining or extinct civilizations, many of which were wine producers, such as the Romans that left behind remains of their stone tanks (Lagares). The Douro landscape reflects its ancient and deep connection with the wine culture, creating an amazing picture of Man and Nature working side by side in search of the perfect wine.
