Checking out Douro Valley: 48 hours in Port heaven
Spending 48 hours in the beautiful Douro Valley, Portugal at harvest time has to be one of the highlights of our last 5 years of travel.
"Stephen likes the finer things in life". Said by my Mum, and never forgotten by Julie. She teases me endlessly about it. Not sure how bunking down in a shared dorm or clothes shopping at the local charity shop fits with the "finer things in life". But I guess when it comes to a love affair with port, Mum may have been right.
The finer things
There may have even been a point in the time when I would have swapped one of my daughters for a case of Fonseca 1977. Just joking girls, it would have had to have been at least three cases!
So here we are at the end of September having picked up a rental car, driving the 90 minute trip from Porto airport to Pinhão, deep in the promised land for port lovers. Something extraordinary was planned for this weekend, and I couldn't wait.
Be warned the narrow valley roads are not for the faint-hearted. If you are used to 6 lane highways that run in a straight line forever, the winding hill-hugging tarmac will be a tough test of your driving and concentration. Hiring a car, however, does give you the freedom to explore the outer reaches of the valley.
We arrived late Friday afternoon and headed straight to our accommodation, Casa Dona Eufémia, in the small village of São João da Pesqueira. A quick 10-minute drive from Pinhão.
Across the road from the Casa was a tiny bar in a shed. We grabbed a couple of beers from the old lady running the bar and watched truck after truck rumble passed laden with freshly picked grapes. Every so often a minibus full of tired, sleepy pickers would be mixed in with the trucks.
We headed back into Pinhão for dinner and found the delightful Veladouro Restaurant overlooking the Douro River. A very yummy white port, tonic and mint kicked things off, followed by a fish course each then a drunken port cake for dessert, even more delicious. The finer things!
Sunset on the Douro River
Having known that treading the port grapes has been on my bucket list for years, Julie searched long and hard for a suitable experience before our travels to Portugal.
With a limited window during the harvest period and an eye on the budget, Julie reached out to several companies. One offered what we were looking for but couldn't guarantee when the day was going to happen. Then out of the blue Julie heard back and it was game on.
So Saturday morning, I awoke more excited than a kid on Christmas Day. We were heading to Quinta das Carvalhas, which sits just across the river from Pinhão for a full day harvest experience.
The Quinta is owned by Real Companhia Velha. Founded in 1756, Real Companhia Velha is the oldest winery in Portugal.
Stepping into the mahogany panelled tasting room, the finer things in life just oozed from every shelf and every corner.
Our small group of 11 worshippers (three more ladies turned up for lunch) were given a quick briefing, tossed a t-shirt and bucket along with a pair secateurs.
Jumping in the back of a small tour bus we started the climb to the very top of the vineyard some 550 metres above sea level. Halfway up, we stopped to admire the incredible view of the famous terraced valley and to get a passionate introduction to wine-producing in the Douro from the viticultural manager, Álvaro Martinho Lopes.
Continuing up the winding track to one of the upper parts of the Quinta we joined the hard-working pickers who had been busy since daybreak relieving the vines of their juicy looking grapes.
Unlike a lot of other vineyards, the pickers at Quinta das Carvalhas are not seasonal staff. They are permanent staff that are kept busy all year round. The female workers have been receiving equal for many years. No wonder there's a waiting list to work here.
After an hour of bending down to harvest the grapes, I can totally understand why most of the pickers are 5-foot nothing. My back was killing me. They must have had a snigger when they saw another group of tourists paying to do what they get paid to do.
After an hour and a half, it was time to leave the pros to it, and we headed for lunch. I would have been happy to hang with the pickers all day, but we were whisked away deeper into the valley.
We ended up in a small town called Alijó, at a Michelin recommended restaurant called Cêpa Torta. Seated next to a couple of the winemakers, we peppered them with questions over several glasses of their excellent white and red wines.
The starter of baked brie and pesto salsa was outstanding as was dessert and the wine. The main course a local meat stew according to the meat-eaters was very yummy. Our veggie option was a so-so veggie burger, but did we say there was lots of wine!!
Following lunch, we jumped back on the bus for the short journey to the grape processing plant for an insight into how the magic happens. No health and safety here, as we wandered around stepping over pipes and hugging barrels full of the latest vintage. Truck after truck rolled up and offloaded their precious cargo, some we had picked just a couple of hours ago.
Then on to the highlight of the day, if not the year, if not the decade. OK somebody was a little excited. We were taken to a small nondescript building. Inside were three massive granite lagares (akin to a large paddling pool). In the first were three members of staff with a grape juice tide mark already halfway up their legs, pounding up and down.
Steve’s new career!
With a quick hose down of our feet and legs, we climbed one by one into the middle lagar. It was filled to the brim with the red grapes that are used for port making. In many of the port vineyards, this traditional method of stomping the grapes by foot still continues. It is done this way to prevent the seeds of the grapes being crushed and adding a bitter taste to the wine.
I was the first in and last out of the lagar. This has been something that I have wanted to do since my first ever sip of port. I was going to make the most of the opportunity. With grape skins wedge between each toe and bits of stalk tickling the bottoms of my feet, I had a smile a mile wide.
At one point we had one of our team beating a drum, viticultural manager, Álvaro, playing the bagpipes and a glass of port in our hands. Pinch me, I think I'm dreaming.
To finish the day we jumped back on the bus and headed back to the Quinta for wine tasting. We were presented with three white, three reds and a port. A fantastic way to end to a fantastic day.
Starting at 10.30am and finishing just after 7.00pm, it was outstanding value for money at only €85 per person.
Do yourself a huge favour visit the Douro Valley at harvest time and get booked in for this incredible day, you won't regret it.
We spent the next two nights at Quinta Manhãs D'uoro, in the town of Provesende. Another excellent accommodation choice by Julie. The first night we tried the traditional baked cod for dinner, hmmm. It was tasty, but choc-full of bones. Now breakfast, on the other hand, was a great success, especially if you are first in the queue for the piping hot Pastel de Natas.
Sunday morning we took a drive out of Pinhão and along the river to Quinta do Panascal, home of Fonseca, one of the finest producers in the valley. I'm a massive fan of Fonseca, they produce some fantastic port.
The tour here is self-guided and starts at €10. Julie decided to chill in the courtyard in the dappled shade while I went off to explore. The audio guide takes you out of the winery and through the vines. Along the way, there are numbered points that correspond with the guide. The first of these talks about the various grapes varieties and what can grow where.
After an hour of wandering and listening, it was back to the winery for the tasting.
The young lady running the front desk while friendly but offered no depth of information to the wines that we were tasting (yes I had to share my pours with Julie). Still, it was a beautiful setting, the sun was shining, and there was a heap of activity, including stomping in one of the lagares.
Back in Pinhão, we walked the short distance to Quinta do Bonfim. Owned by the Symington Family Estates which includes the port brands Dow's, Warre's, Graham's and Cockburn's. This is the public face of one of the oldest and most respected port companies. They are the largest vineyard owner in the valley and have over 1025 hectares (1 hectare is similar in size to a football pitch) planted in grapes.
The tours and tasting start at €17, like most, it can be upgraded to include rarer older vintages. We upgraded one of us so that we would get a taste of 6 different styles and vintages in total.
We were part of an English guided tour with 10 people. Our guide was slick and well practised.
The gobsmacking moment was when we walked into the processing room. The granite lagares have been replaced with stainless steel versions. A mechanical stomper, fitted with a silicon bottom (to try and replicate the touch of the human foot) moves at glacier speed, slowly extracting the juice from the grapes. It's interesting to see, but it's not the traditional method.
The tasting room offers magnificent views of the Douro River. I could easily see us spending an afternoon here. A bottle of port on the table watching the boats cruise up and down.
Our guide gave an excellent overview of the ports that we were tasting. Unfortunately, it was over way too quickly. I did eye the table next to us which had had 2 couples tasting the top of the range ports (at €50 a tasting) They had hardly touched their pours. I'm not sure minesweeping is the done thing here, and I'm positive had I made a move towards the now empty table I would have ended up a single man.
Both Quintas that we visited today are well worth the effort and money. They are at the opposite ends of slickness and polish but offer a great insight into the region, and it's treasures.
We opted to finish our time in the valley with a 1-hour sunset cruise along the river. It was great to see the valley terraces from a different angle. You really appreciate how steep the vineyards are and how hard it is working the slopes when you are down at river level.
It had been an incredible 48 hours. I felt well and truly spoilt. The landscape alone is breathtaking and worthy of it's UNESCO World Heritage status. To be here and amongst it, all at harvest time was just mind-blowing.
Unfortunately, the sales of port have been dropping by 1% each year for the past decade. The advancement of modern methods of picking and processing is starting to take hold. Many of the Quintas are looking to these new methods and producing different types of wine.
So I, for one, will be doing all that I can to stem the decline in sales of one of the finer things in life. Delicious yummy port.
The town of Pinhão sits on the Douro River
CHECK OUT: HINTS AND INFO
Pinhão Railway Station
If driving along the narrow roads of the valley is not for you, there is another option. Jump on the train from Porto to Pinhão.
A one-way ticket is €16 and takes 2.5 hours. And if you are departing from São Bento Station, you get to see the fantastic tiled foyer.
There are some great Quintas within walking distance in Pinhão. And for those a little further afield you can use the local bus service or taxi.
We travelled; (price per person)
from Barcelona to Porto with Ryanair NZ$73 (US$46)
Porto to Manchester with Ryanair NZ$144 (US$90)
Centauro car hire NZ$52 (US$34) for 3 days
We stayed at; (price per couple per night)
Casa Dona Eufémia NZ$127 (US$84) large double room, breakfast, ensuite
Quinta Manhãs D'uoro NZ$107 (US$70) double room, breakfast, ensuite
We visited; (price per person)
Quinta do Bonfim NZ$29-$85 (US$19-US$55)
Quinta do Panascal NZ$17-NZ$59 (US$12-US$39)
Quinta das Carvalhas NZ$144 (US$95)
We ate at; (price for two)
Veladouro Restaurant - Pinhão NZ$82 (US$53) very tasty and great views
Cêpa Torte part of the harvest experience, highly recommend
Quinta Manhãs D'uoro dinner at hotel NZ$76 (US$50) 3 courses and wine
