THE WINES OF THE DUORO - and Adeus to Portugal

Because this is the last chapter of my writing efforts in 2022 - a big thank you for reading any, all - or even part of it. Thanks for supporting and indulging me in my hobby and "blogging" efforts - much appreciated!

During the latter part of our time in Lamego, we took a trip to another town, saw Lamego's cathedral and visited the Caves da Raposeira - where the oldest sparkling wine in Portugal is produced. We also went on an amazing wine tour, which was definitely one of the highlights of the whole trip.

First - the trip to Regua, where we'd arrived after leaving Porto. We caught a local bus, which wound back down the same road the taxi had taken from the train station …but fortunately the bus driver drove a little slower, which made the narrow winding roads seem less frightening! For a few euros we were there in 20 minutes The region of Peso da Régua, known as the capital of the Port Wine Region, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it was from here that the flat-bottomed Rabelo boats used to depart when carrying the Port wine barrels down the river to Porto. A modernized pier is now the departure point for many river cruises and a place to take either a stroll or relax at a café.... the surrounding scenery is lovely. In town there's a museum featuring its history and that of the Duoro region. Régua also has a 16th century Baroque church - unfortunately both places were closed the day we were there.
We strolled along a 1km path at the side of the river, which passes the aforementioned pier. The scenery is exceptional, with terrace upon terrace rising up on either side. Along the way we made a few stops to admire our surroundings and also saw a couple of guys fishing. On the road running parallel to this path are a few cafés and restaurants that are practically empty now that high tourist season is over. When passing a small-holding we caught a glimpse of workers who were picking the last of the grapes. Later we headed uphill into the old part of town where we stumbled upon an interesting renovation of a beautiful old building, plus some lovely azjulos tiles on the opposite wall. We did of course find a café where we enjoyed a coffee and yummy pastries. I always sample a Pastel de Nata wherever I go, but Trevor has found a new love in this region's speciality. It's a cross between a sweet bun and a donut, filled with a substantial amount of custard. Although we were told it was called a Bola de Lamego, that seems to be a general term for any type of stuffed bread roll - either savoury or sweet…but whatever it's name, he liked it!
Régua is also known for the 3 bridges that span the river. We walked over the pedestrian bridge, which was formerly an old railway crossing. We were rewarded with amazing views of the river below, plus seeing the other 2 bridges close up. One is an older road bridge while the other is a huge modern concrete highway much higher than the others….the 3 together are an impressive sight. After a quick beer at a riverside café close to our bus stop, we made our way home….the fading light giving a magical look to the terraced vines along the way.

A place we'd not yet visited was Lamego's cathedral, one of the main reasons that day-trippers visit the town. It's the oldest in Portugal and a National Monument. We'd certainly passed by many times as it sits in a prime position at the bottom of the Avenida. The first reference of it dates back to 572, with construction of the current building in 1159. Burial chapels were added in the Middle Ages, with a major renovation in the 15th century, which included a cloister. The original tower still remains. The cathedral's ceiling is full of vividly coloured, biblical frescoes and the Renaissance cloister is stunning with it's arches and lovely wooden ceilings. There were even a few roses still blooming in its courtyard. Another lovely Baroque building stands close to the cathedral - The Bishop's Palace - home to The Lamego Museum since 1917. Unfortunately it's closed for renovation with only 2 rooms open to the public. We took a quick look, but the only exhibits were books and posters of the the 20th century. With no information boards, unfortunately it didn't mean very much to us. We did, however, have a lovely long conversation with the young lady who was at the front desk, who having heard of the large population of Portuguese in Canada, was keen to know about our home country.
Just around the corner, in a tiny shop on another of Lamego's ancient streets, we met a much older lady who was also very friendly. After buying a Portuguese souvenir, she moved in and gave me a hug saying "Merry Christmas."

Our last 2 days were mostly dedicated to the wines that this area is so famous for....there's a very good reason that people come here to taste them!

After a hike of about 45 mins - all uphill - we left the town behind to "try" and visit the Caves da Raposeira….it was never clear to us if it was open. The Tourist Information office, which was always helpful and friendly when we visited, were vague on that and seemed to think that it was a long way to walk. We took that as a challenge, so were very pleased with ourselves when we began to see signs pointing the way to this elusive winery….we found it and it was open! No signs could be seen as we entered a large open gate - just a couple of men in the back of a large yard, plus a "guard" dog who never barked, but only wagged his tail and rolled over when we got closer. There's an unimposing dark pink building, with a large sign on top, that houses the offices of the producer of the oldest sparkling wine in Portugal. Trevor was sceptical - but we went in and were pointed to another smaller building across the yard. Although the same unattractive colour of the larger building, it was nice inside. With a high beamed wooden ceiling and a modern decor, it was already decorated for Christmas…and had a bar at one end. Although no tour was available, a pleasant young lady opened up the outdoor terrace for us. High above the outer parts of town and overlooking the hills, we enjoyed the views - along with espressos and a couple of glasses of their premium sparkling wines - a dry rosé and very dry white. Comparable to a good cava - but at a considerably lower price (€5 euros total), we were told that unfortunately they don't export to Canada…something about it being too costly!?!

After doing quite a bit of research on all of the many wine-tours on offer, we decided to take a private tour with a couple who were born and lived in this part of the Duro region. After some back and forth messaging they sent us a customized itinerary for approval.
On the sunniest and warmest day of the week, we spent over 5 hours going deeper into the heart of this wine growing area. We visited 2 wineries, participating in wine, port + olive oil tastings. We also made made a few stops along the way to gaze at some incredible views. Andreia and her husband Valdemar who did the driving, picked us up in Lamego and off we went on our tour. The couple met when they were both living and working in Switzerland, but during the pandemic returned to the area where they were born. They decided to start their business catering only to small groups. Andreia immediately started with information and chat, while they both pointed out various points of interest along the way.

Our first stop was at a large winery, Quinta de Säo Luiz, founded in 1638, it's the oldest of the Port-wine houses. With a high reputation for Port, it also produces some premium wines - many under other labels than the original Kopke. Our visit here included a guided tour of the vineyards, plus a visit to the cellars. We took the advice of our guides and during the tasting part of the tour sampled 2 types of Port - this being where the winery excels. I tasted a white and a ruby Port - and although I'm no expert, they were excellent! Outside we spent some time on a lovely large terrace which is also used for tastings….the views are amazing.
For us, the only down side of the experience at this Quinta was the amount of people in the tasting group. Knowing that time slots need to be reserved, we'd expected others to join us - but on this day there must have been quite a few river cruises in the area. In high season, I can't imagine that this very large winery wouldn't limit the number of participants in their wine tours - but I'd certainly check that out before I went!

We continued our scenic drive from Pinhão to Régua along a route which "Avis" has described by saying:- "this stretch of the N-22 is a road that offers the best driving experience in the world." The national road is 230km in length, with this section receiving many such accolades - both for the location and the spectacular views of the Duoro river and its surroundings. Cutting right through the heart of the region it offers views of the terraced hillsides, which from mid-October to mid-November are at their best.
With Valdemar driving upwards on the ever narrowing roads, Andreia's narrative on our surroundings continued. Her information was always interesting as she pointed out various things across the valley..... it also helped to distract us from looking over the side of the road. There are no defined edges to these roads - and no barriers, so it's straight down into the valley if mistakes are made! At a spot 500 metres high we reached the green coloured iron gates of the second winery - Quinta Seara d'Ordens ….or was it Shangri-La? This stunning place is a 6th generation, family-run business, currently headed by 2 brothers who run and operate the winery - and a sister who handles the marketing. They all live on site and all have their own houses, with the elders living in a large house at the heart of the main complex. The family also have a number of friendly dogs that roam the property, making friends with everyone. Being so high up, not only the views are stunning, but the air is clean and clear.
We were joined by just two people - a young couple from Brazil - who are currently living in Lisbon while studying for their Masters degrees. After we all introduced ourselves, the tour guide talked a little about the background of the winery before taking us into the oak ageing-cellars. While there he explained all the various stages, including the aging of the Port and its production. Setting a relaxed and unhurried atmosphere he answered any and all questions…obviously a man who was happy in his work! He then led us into their small wine tasting room where a very nice live-edge table was set for 4. With a shared dish for each couple, we tasted their own olive oil with some crusty cubes of bread. They produce a small batch of 6,000 bottles annually, which they sell in their shop and to gourmet food outlets and top restaurants around the country. Next came a dry white wine and then a full- bodied red - along with a sharing dish for each couple of almonds picked from their own trees. The last round was Port - a white and a tawny - which is when a another sharing dish came out for each couple - this time a jam preserve from - you guessed it - their own berries. The last was a ruby Port - which is when we received the hazelnuts! The Port-wines were very good and the 2 wines were excellent. The whole atmosphere was relaxed and intimate while our "host" answered any and all questions and was very confident and proud of his information…as previously said - a man who is happy in his work!

After saying our goodbyes we joined our tour guides, who at each location kept to themselves giving us the space to enjoy our surroundings. This time we found them sat on a small stone wall, spending time with Typhoon - one of the dogs, who despite his name is very calm and friendly. Photos were taken, thanks were given, and with some last lingering looks at our surroundings, we left this amazing Quinta - which is also an enviable family "compound."

When we left the sun was much lower in the sky adding even more of a magical touch as we made our way back down to the river, making one last stop at a large lock. A river-cruise boat was sitting a long way down in the lock, waiting for the water to bring it up to the required level. We spotted a couple of people sitting on deck-chairs right at the front of the boat…..they looked very small with the giant vertical walls rising up on either side.

As Valdemar used his driving skills to go up the winding - and now dark roads towards Lamego, we watched the lights go on in tiny villages all across the landscape. With smoke rising from burning piles of the recently pruned vines it truly was a unique setting. They offered to make a stop if we needed anything, but we felt they'd exceeded any and all of our expectations, so we agreed to a drop-off at the end of our street. This was fine with them because it happened to be directly outside the pastry shop where we regularly bought our treats. They gave us the last piece of information of the day that this was known as the best place in town to buy Trevor's favourite Bola de Lamego. With hugs and a final thank-you our guides left us and went to buy some of these treats for themselves.....it was well deserved! The day we'd just enjoyed was so much more than a wine tour - or a days outing - it was actually an extraordinary cultural experience and one for the history book of our memories.

To everyone who wants and dreams of travelling - we say do it if you can. Be safe - and until next time - happy trails!