The Douro Valley, Portugal is an absolute must for wine lovers, especially if the #winelover appreciates learning more about port. This mid-October we arrived in Porto after a long journey from California. Even though we did not take a direct flight all went well. When we picked up our rented car at the airport we could not get a GPS. We asked for directions to the Douro Valley from the guy who checked our car out. He said he did not know. Fortunately, we had a map of Portugal and I had my iPhone. Yes, we used goggle maps on my iPhone to drive to the Douro Valley, without signing up for an international data plan. Next day, I received a number of alerts (both text and emails) from AT&T, concerning my extremely high data use. Needless to say, I called them. They signed me up for a data plan.
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| Fall view of Douro Valley from Quinta do Seixo © Spaswinefood |
Spaswinefood has been thinking about port for awhile
During this past year my Spaswinefood thoughts have shifted to the Douro Valley whenever I have heard the name port mentioned. As things progressed with our plans to attend the European Wine Bloggers Conference (#EWBC12) in Izmir, Turkey we explored the possibility of planning a pre-conference trip to the Douro Valley.
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Time to see quintas and port lodges
Spaswinefood did a little research in preparation for the visit. I read the article by Robin Dorhn-Simpson about her visit to the Douro. I identified with her openness to learn about port. Shane Mitchell's article captured some of the scenic beauty of the Douro Valley. Then there was the awesome documentary Life on the Douro, by Zen Robinson. Let me not forget to mention the many breath taking photos of the Douro Valley that I checked out.
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The quintas (or vineyards) where the grapes are grown are where some visitors chose to stay. This was our choice. Thanks to a tip from a fellow wine lover I discovered Quinta do Portal. The winemaker provided me with some information. After a quick look at the link it was the obvious choice. Check out Great Western Wine, MartaVine and Roy Herst articles on this quinta. We were not disappointed. Spaswinefood will post future articles on Quinta do Portal.
Using Quinta do Portal as a base we explored other quintas in the area. The quintas we visited included Quinta do Panascal (Foncesca), Quinta do Noval and Quinta do Seixo (Sandeman).
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| Quinta do Portal © Spaswinefood |
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| Quinta do Panascal © Spaswinefood |
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| Quinta do Panascal © Spaswinefood |
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| Quinta do Panascal (Foncesca port) © Spaswinefood |
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| Sandeman's port at Quinta do Seixo © Spaswinefood |
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| Tasting Sandeman Port, Quinta do Seixo © Spaswinefood |
While in Portugal we also spent some time in Porto (Oporto) to explore the port lodges. Port lodges in Porto number over 50. During our brief visit we visited a few of these port lodges. There we tasted and learnt about the types of port (see Jason Bandt Lewis article for an overview of port wines).
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| Sandeman Port Lodge, Oporto © Spaswinefood |
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| Tawny ports at Taylor's Port Lodge, Oporto © Spaswinefood |
Fall is the perfect time to visit the Douro Valley, after all the summer tourists have gone. During a fall visit you will see the leaves changing colors and check out the grape harvest. We were also told during our visit that spring is a great time to visit as well. Spaswinefood enjoyed tasting and learning about all things port. This is the first post on the Douro Valley. I invite you to join me in my travels in Douro Valley, Portugal and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.
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