Flanking the banquet tables are dozens of stalls, manned by the Douro region’s most celebrated chefs and producers. Plates are thrust at revellers: curried trout, goat francesinha (a traditional cheese-enveloped Portuguese sandwich), Maronês veal and potatoes, wild boar rice, and Pão de Ló de Folgoso (a velvety egg dessert). One table groans under the weight of rows of Basque cheesecakes generously speckled with sea salt flakes. Flutes of organic sparkling wine and goblets of Douro reds seem to materialise in my hand as if by magic, again and again. The festivities may be at odds with the weather, but no spirits are dampened here.

It’s against this intoxicating background that the inaugural Octant Festival is underway, a three-day celebration that honours the essence of Portugal’s major wine region and spotlights Douro-based chefs, producers and artisans whose work is deeply rooted in the area’s heritage. The festival is hosted by Octant Douro – an architectural marvel of a hotel seemingly suspended over the river. Inside the vast property is a complimentary programme of wine tastings, talks from philosophers, archeology workshops, piano recitals, culminating in a performance from indie folk singer José González.