Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island which lies just east of La Hispaniola (the island shared between Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Its name means 'rich port' and is a reminder that this island was a colony of the Spanish Empire from the 16th century until it was lost to the United States in 1898, during the Spanish-American war.
Sugar has remained an important crop on Puerto Rico, although the island's economy has been focused heavily on manufacturing since the 1940s. The island's natural suitability for sugar cultivation led to the development of rum here, particularly in the absence of cereal crops and grapes from which to make the alcohol most often found in Europe. International rum brand Captain Morgan is now based in Puerto Rico, although its original base was in Jamaica.
Commercial-scale viticulture has never been successfully attempted on Puerto Rico.
