Join me in Portugal!
Sit back, grab a drink while I tell you all about the beautiful Douro Valley in Portugal. Even better, ask your 5 year-old to point it out on a map, and you’ve done your job as a parent today! Cheers!
Now. I wouldn’t test your newly minted teen driver in a car on these particular steep cliffs—but there are other opportunities here, more in the wine category—shocking coming from me, I’m sure. When I first started studying wine, I learned so much about the steep terracing in Douro and was reminded over and over again that this area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Backstory; My husband and I headed to London a few weeks ago to receive my Diploma from the WSET, Wine Spirits Education Trust (Insert huge sigh of relief to finally be done after many, many years of hard work and study). We decided to celebrate this accomplishment with a few days away and I have always wanted to visit Portugal, so the time was right! We left all the kids (and skateboarders, dancers, etc) at home this time!
Portugal has long been known for fortified wine—port and only port. While the names Taylors, Neipoort, Quinta do Noval, Graham’s, and Fonseca can make anyone’s mouth water, there are also some amazing wines to be tasted here. And, don’t worry we tasted enough for everyone!
I connected with Terroir Wine & Food Tours before I left New York, and they were amazing. We went back and forth and created a perfect one day tour for me and the hubby in the Douro Valley! We didn’t have much time since I was headed to London to get my diploma! Oh, did I say that again?
Connect with them at https://www.terroirwineandfoodtours.com/
Manuel from Terroir Wine and Food tours picked us up from our hotel (Quinta da Pacheca), gave us a tour of the town of Pinhao, and peppered us with so much history and knowledge of the region and wine. We were hooked by lunchtime!
First stop on Manuel’s tour was ‘Wine & Soul’. This is a newer more innovative winery in the Douro valley. I had the pleasure of meeting one of the winemakers - Sandra, at an event in NYC. I was about 200 wines in when I met her, but her wine (and port) stood out, which means a lot! I was very excited to visit. I think my husband fell in love with Pintas and I fell in love with the Guru wine. ‘Wine & Soul’ really started with Sandra and Jorge, who did not own any vineyards but wanted to make wine from traditional older vineyards. The started with a single vineyard wine: Pintas. I believe this is just the beginning for this winery, as they continue to hone their craft and style, they will continue to give us elegant red and white wines that are a true expression of the Douro valley. I’m excited to see what they do in the future!
Next stop on “Manuel’s Excellent Wine and Food Tour” was ‘Quinta do Crasto’. This one, in contrast to ‘Wine & Soul’ is a very big winery perched on the edge of steep cliffs. This winery is worth visiting just for the view - but also the wines are REALLY good and they offer a wide variety of price points and tastes - there is something for everyone! We had a gorgeous lunch here while being shown different wines. We tasted a rose’, a Douro red, Touriga Franca, a Touriga Nacional and a LBV port. Personally, I loved the Touriga Nacional! These wines are great value, and totally worth buying!
Final Stop was one of my favorite vineyards, ‘Quinta do Noval’. A histroric port shipper, known throughout the world for its Port wine. This producer specializes in port and in 2004 released Douro red wine, making dry wine from the grapes of the vineyard.
For those looking to know a little more about the Douro Valley keep reading!
A quick geography lesson - the Douro Valley is quite big and consists of three main parts: Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo, and Douro Superior. The latter being closest to the Spanish border. Many people visit the Douro while staying in Porto (Oporto), and take a train to Pinhao (San Bento Station in Porto stops in town of Regua and Pinhao) or a quick drive (1.5 hrs). We decided to stay in both the Douro Valley and in Porto. Porto is a vibrant city which was the crux of the Port industry. Vila Nova de Gaia is located south of the city of Porto on the other side of the Douro river and was the biggest shipping business! Lots of Port houses to be visited here.
Portugal is unique in both the way the vines are planted (Patamares) and the mix of grapes used - aptly called ‘field blend’, which means a variety of grapes co-planted and picked together and blended into… you guessed it: “Douro wine”. While field blends are not unique in the world, the Douro valley has mastered it. The field blends are a creation post-phylloxera (a pesky little bug that nearly killed all the vines around Europe). When Phylloxera killed a lot of the vines here, many replanted all sorts of varietals to gives vines a fighting chance just in case. At the time, the cure to plant on American rootstock was not yet known. This way of planting stuck, as well as the all the stone terraces where the vines are planted. Many of the Douro’s vineyards are planted on steep, terraced slopes—although one new planting system abandons traditional terraces in favor of planting vines in vertical rows leading directly up the slopes (Vinhos ao Alta). Field Blends are slowly taking the back seat for replanting of single varietal grapes such as Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, etc. Although, I love the blend, it works! The reason behind the single varietal- probably so the consumer (that’s YOU) knows what to buy and what they are drinking. 30 grape varietals in one bottle doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.
I highly recommend a visit to Portugal! Next blog… All about Port!