A "radical overhaul" of the Douro region's administrative system is needed to ensure the future of vintage port production, it is claimed.

Writing in Decanter, award-winning writer Andrew Jefford claims that there are serious concerns in the Douro, in the face of reduced demand for port and the ongoing struggles of the Portuguese economy.

The nuances of the Douro farming system makes it one of the most labour-intensive vineyard areas in the world, while the production limits imposed on the estates for 2011, were 85,000 pipes (one pipe is equal to 550 litres) of port - a reduction of around a quarter compared to 2010.

Furthermore, the reduction was unexpected, leaving around 100,000 pipes wasted.

Mr Jefford points out that Douro table wine would be a viable alternative for the region, if only it were regulated in the same way vintage port is.

Without stringent regulation the price is much lower, making it less economically viable for producers.

All growers are obliged to be registered with the regional regulator Casa do Douro, but leading producers do not see it as representative of their interests.

"Until port and table wine can be put on an equal fiscal footing, life may get still harder for those eking out a living on the lonely Douro terraces," Mr Jefford added.

Dominic Symington, executive director of Symington Family Estates, believes that port must lose its "formal image" if it is to reach a new generation of drinkers.

While many port enthusiasts still enjoy the oddities and eccentricities associated with port, Mr Symington says the traditional markets for the fortified wine are breaking up, and producers must look at how to engage with drinkers brought up on New World wines.