Travelling to the Douro wine country can almost take your breath away
We have just published our new Douro Valley wine tour program. The Douro is one of the most spectacular wine regions in the world. In the last few decades it has seen a renaissance (or revolution?) both for port wine, table wine and for its food! Here is an introduction to the program.
The Douro Valley wine district in Portugal is certainly one of the “musts” for the dedicated wine traveller. It is breathtakingly beautiful with its winding river and the terraced, sloping vineyards where you just can not understand that someone got the idea to grow vines on.
The Douro Valley is also a region full of delightful surprises.
Inevitably on a wine tour to the Douro you start with Porto (or as some still call it Oporto). A charming city of very manageable size that in itself merits a few days. If you are lucky with the weather (quite likely) you can take a stroll along the beach in Porto and stop for lunch (grilled sardines! Or langouste…).
Driving up the river takes a while. Don’t be pressed for time when wine touring here! Even though there is now a modern high-way it is still a winding road that takes you over high (relatively speaking) mountains.
And then you arrive in the wine district, among the vines. Here is where you may have the real surprises. Starting with the wealth of excellent wines. Perhaps the biggest surprise, apart from the scenery (!), is the fantastic table wines (non-fortified wine) that they make today. You can find some outstanding red wines, and even white wines, if you know whom to visit.
But you will also discover a variety and diversity among the traditional ports that few people are aware of. Old vintage wines. Delicious tawnies. Refreshing rubies. Modern style ports with slightly less sugar. And much more.
And this is just the beginning. Don’t forget the gastronomy for instance, the Portuguese food.
You really have to come here to the fantastic wine region and experience it. It is amazing.
Take a look at our new wine tour program to the Douro Valley, including Porto!
Doesn’t it sound tempting?
