It's the same in France where vineyards are everywhere and the French take great pride in their wine, Cognac and other grape-based drinks. Alcohol consumption is at worrying levels and yet it is completely romanticised.

It's funny but we hardly drank any wine while we were in Porto and never made it to taste any Port. It was lovely wine but with one teetotaller in the party, a bunch of younger ones who prefer beer, and my dad who claimed he doesn't like Port, we just didn't drink much.