Our hotel was on the metro line to the airport so, we headed off there to pick up our hire car for the day, or so, we are to spend enjoying the Douro Valley. We have a Fiat 500, once referred to by an Antipodean cousin as like driving a hairdryer! The journey is nearly all motorway, it seems everybody else is flying by, however, our more sedate speed means we get to marvel at some of the magnificent bridges that must have made the A4 one of the most expensive roads to build in EU history! It’s not that this area is mountainous, it’s just a succession of huge hills that Mother Nature has carved gorges and a huge valley within. An old wine/golf chum had kindly organised a wine tour of Quinta Do Vallado. The scenery is spectacular, vines occupy every space, hanging off 45 degree gradients, it looks like a rain forest from the distance.
We are met by Francisco Ferreira, a fifth generation of the family that own QDV. A charming man, he proudly tells us of the family matriarch, D Antonia Adelaide Ferreira, who pioneered the Quinta when her husband died at an early age. From the mid 1800s she transformed the vineyards, went big on port when there was little demand, created worker’s rights and, generally, took the industry by the scruff of the neck, pioneering it towards what is today. The newest bridge in Porto is, shortly, to be named after her. We are shown the wine making and cellar departments, both of which are housed within a relatively new building which, with a high end hotel, were architecturally designed to be modern yet, sit well within the valley. We had been invited to lunch at which he paraded some of their best wines and port. In particular, a 50 year old port and their best wine, Vinha da Granja, made with no less than 33 blended varietals! It was extraordinarily generous and truly appreciated. We both said “wow” when we left after he’d presented us with a beautiful book commissioned to tell the Quinta’s story.
We had another Quinta to visit, De La Rosa, owned by an English family. A delightful drive along the side of the river, past a dam and HEP plant to the Quinta which perched precariously on the steep bank of the river valley. This visit was straight forward but, another insight into this intriguing area which is beautiful on the eye and prodigious in its production of wine and, especially, port.
Both Quintas had recommended the same restaurant, Castas &Pratos which was in Regua, one of the major towns on the Douro. Despite knowing Angelka was a veggie there were no veggie starters. It does seem beyond the Portuguese comprehension that people chose not to eat meat! Anyway, another opportunity for a proud sommelier to suggest some wines and, a delightful meal. After the hiking of Porto, it was lovely to let a car do the work and take the weight off our feet!
Our second day in the valley was one without itinerary so, we decided to look up the best viewpoint and navigate our way there. The journey and the view did not disappoint, a gorgeous day and, we stumbled across the Quinta that made the wine Angelka so liked a couple of days before. Sadly, lunch hour but, a beautiful estate and one we shall recommend to friends who visit in the future. With that, we’ve achieved all that we set out to do, developed a deep affection for the area, the people and the places we enjoyed visiting. It’s that national pride thing, it’s infectious, and it shows in their behaviour towards tourists, the cleanliness of the place and the general attitude. I’ve never been a big fan of the Algarve, too populated by tourists to be itself, the northern part of Portugal could not be more different.