Douro Valley -- The Port Wine Region

A great breakfast and a beautiful sunny morning – A perfect start for our day of touring in the Douro Region of Portugal The Douro River runs east to west across northern Portugal and is famous for its port wine production.. As we left Porto, our drive took us northeast through rural valleys and hills covered with vineyards and higher through mountain passes..Lush green orange trees loaded with their ripe fruit added to the colorful display in the middle of winter.

Two hours later we stopped in Peso da Regua to tour the wine Museum. A very knowledgeable tour guide explained the process of port wine production. Never served as accompaniment to a meal, this wine is sweeter and has a much higher alcohol content than table wine. The production process is similar to table wine, but the fermentation process is stopped prematurely to prevent the loss of anymore of the sugar. Wine brandy is added to the grapes to increase the alcohol content since there will be no further fermentation.

Interestingly, like the champagne region of France which is the only area where champagne can be produced, the Douro Region in the 1700's was declared the official (and only) region where port wine can be produced.

Armed with our newly-acquired knowledge, we drove to the nearby Quinta(farm) de la Pacheca for a delicious 4-course lunch accompanied by the Quinta's own wines. I was again reminded that there are no fast meals in Europe By the time we finished our leisurely lunch, toured the vineyard and had a port wine tasting, it was 4pm.

Our last stop on our way back to Porto was the historic old city of Aramente containing houses dating back to the 15^th century and a lovely old bridge leading to the Cathedral. The tomb of the city's patron saint of fertility, Gonzalo lies here. We were very careful not to make any supplications to him!

Returning to our hotel in Porto we barely had time to change for our dinner at the brand new Yeatman Hotel overlooking the historic center of town. I was literally blown away by this property. It was one of the most unique hotels I've ever seen in Europe. Definitely worthy of a return visit. Another delicious dinner and numerous Portuguese wines! Didn't get back to the hotel until after midnight. Am taking no responsibility for spelling and grammar in this post.

Tomorrow we depart this wonderful region and head south where more sights and tastes of this magical country await us.

Linda

Discovering Magical Portugal

After a fall sabbatical for baby Kate's birth, I am back on the road again. This time to Portugal on an Escapade Vacations Fam. For those of you unfamiliar to my other trips, a Fam is offered to travel agents to familiarize them with a destination.  Having only been to Lisbon previously, I was excited to see the Douro region of Portugal with it's wonderful port wine country as well as other historical sites in central and southern Portugal

The flight to Porto was an easy 6-hr nonstop from Newark. After a delicious breakfast at our hotel, the Infante de Sagres, a lovely boutique property filled with beautiful antiques, I was refreshed and ready to explore this UNESCO World Heritage site. As you can tell from my photos, it was a gorgeous sunny morning – perfect for photos and exploring. Passing quaint buildings covered with unique tiles for which Portugal is famous, I walked down cobblestone streets to the Douro River. Beautiful old houses cling to the hills sloping down to the river and sidewalk cafes dot the quay. I could have spent several hours here sipping a cafe com leite (Portuguese for Starbucks latte), but it was time to grab a quick lunch and head back to the hotel.

No rest for the weary – the afternoon included a tour of the famous sites of the city. First stop was a visit to the Casa da Musica, Portugal's most famous concert hall designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. There were many similarities for me to the Sydney Opera House and just as interesting.From there we continued on to the 19th-centry Stock Exchange Palace. Again, fascinating due to the beautiful antiques and architecture. The tour concluded with a brief visit to the Lello bookshop, an exquisite landmark in the neo-Gothic style dating back to the early 1900's.

Our first day ended with a Welcome Dinner at the Pousada do Freixo at 8pm (2am Austin time.)!   I had not been in bed since 3:45am Monday morning so I was definitely ready for the comfortable bed awaiting me in my room. I don't remember my head hitting the pillow!

We leave at 9am tomorrow morning for a full day in the port wine region. First tasting is at 10am!

Linda

 I