Pieces of Portugal – Part 23 – The Douro Valley

You can’t visit northern Portugal and NOT go to the Douro Valley. The Douro River Valley in northern Portugal is the world’s oldest demarcated wine region (since 1756) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its dramatic steep, terraced vineyards producing port and Douro DOC wines. It is about 1 1/2-2 hours east of the city of Porto and is a beautiful, scenic drive. We took a tour bus through the valley, and our lovely guide Rita, was hilarious and very knowledgeable. She should be a comedian. She had us laughing the whole trip.

We met at a large church in Porto early in the morning. There were a lot of different tour groups meeting there at the same time, so it was a bit chaotic at first. But once we knew who our guide was, and what bus we were taking, the chaos quickly dissipated.

Our first stop was a little coffee shop so people could get a “cuppa” if they needed it and it was a chance to use the facilities if needed too. Larry and I decided to pass on the coffee, and went out to take some pictures before we all got back on the bus.

After a short break, we headed to our first winery. It was built in the 17th century, and it is still owned and operated by the same original family today. The family still lives in part of the house, and the rest of the house and grounds they have graciously opened up for wine and port tours. Rita is opening the doors to the winery.

This is the port room, where we had our first port tastings of the day.

The winery provided a delicious lunch for all of us out on their patio. It was a good way for all of us to connect. We were, after all, spending the whole day with these people. 🙂 It was lunch with a view.

The private garden.

Before lunch was ready though, we made a little detour, just off the property a bit, and visited the house where the famous mariner and discoverer Ferdinand Magellan was born. Ferdinand Magellan is famous for organizing and leading the Spanish expedition (1519–1522) that achieved the first known circumnavigation of the globe. His original goal was not to go around the world, but to find a westward route to the Spice Islands (Indonesia) to open a new trade route for Spain.  Because he turned to Spain, Portugal viewed him as a traitor and even tried to stop his expedition, going so far as to send ships to destroy his fleet. After navigating the dangerous strait (now named after him) at the tip of South America, the ocean they entered appeared calm compared to the turbulent Atlantic, leading him to name it Mare Pacificum (Pacific Ocean). He found the treacherous, winding passage connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in 1520.

After the port tastings and lunch we embarked on the rest of our journey, through the winding hills and terraces of the Douro Valley.

There was a brief parting of the ways for our group here. Some people opted to go to another winery, while most of us, Larry and I included, chose to take the boat trip along the river. It was so beautiful and tranquil. It was like stepping back in time.

After our relaxing cruise, Rita and the bus driver came back to pick us up, then we all headed to the 2nd winery to pick up the rest of our group. It was another gorgeous winery, and as much as I would have loved to taste their wines (that will have to be another time), I think we made the better choice.

The Croft patio was gorgeous with all the wisteria hanging down. It smelled so good too.

Wine, wisteria and honey. All of these, along with olives, are all often found together, being produced side by side. Some of these are materials used for building and repairs and some are for bees to make their honey.

These vines are over 100 years old.

This is yet another traditional ceremonial costume worn during harvesting season.

Once again, it was time to board the bus and continue our wine explorations.

Our last stop was to a winery that we actually walked through the vineyards to get to. It was a beautiful 15 minute walk up through the terraced hills. The prize at the end was well worth it.

Our last stop was at Quinto do Peto and Solaris Wineries.

The vintner explaining her wines and ports.

We tried three of their wines, with some local olive oil, bread and honey too.

You all know how I love my birds, and this beautiful little falcon was flying directly above us. How could I resist taking a few pictures of him? He was just begging to be apart of the collection. 🙂

And the winery’s supervisor, Pedro.

Rita had to stop and pay the entrance fee.

We had a gorgeous day filled with lots of wine and good fun. We absolutely loved the Douro Valley.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Live life to the fullest. It’s not the destination that matters, but the journey. Enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.