It shows traces of human occupation since proto-history. Romans, Swabians, and Visigoths have passed through this region, the Cister Monks chose it to build some of the most impressive architectonic examples of their order. The monastery of S.João da Tarouca is a good example, built in the 12th century, the first in the Iberian Peninsula. Birthplace of the writer Aquilino Ribeiro, it produces some of the best wines and sparkling wines in Portugal.

Its unique climate and soil conditions, with mostly granitic soils, poor in limestone, sometimes schist and acid, with marked erosion, with a continental dry temperate clime, harsh winters, make this region to be special for the production of wines, although the land ownership is quite divided. 

The predominant grape varieties are Bical, Cerceal, Fernão Pires, Gouveio and Malvasia Fina in the whites, and Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional in the red ones.

The French varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reflect the quality of the sparkling wines, which have an almost centennial presence in the region. This was the first national wine region to be demarcated for the production of sparkling DOC wine, in 1989.