Whenever Spaswinefood is in Portugal, it is hard to resist a trip to the Douro Valley. Might I say, for this wine enthusiast, no trip to the Porto area is complete, without at least a trip to the Douro. I am happy to say that my last adventure in Portugal included a very special day trip to the Douro Valley. YES, it was off to the Douro for a day trip where I would taste some fabulous Covela and Quevedo wines.
A Day in the Douro Valley
I must note that while in Porto the port lodges in the historic Vila Nova de Gaia are a must visit. It is hard to pass up a tasting of Port wines at places, like Taylor's Port Lodge at the top of the Gaia hillside overlooking Porto. Moreover, the view from there is absolutely majestic.
A Day in the Douro Valley
Visitors to the Douro Valley are immediately struck by its stunning beauty. Terraced vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see, along the Douro River and its tributaries. For me, besides hanging out with my wine enthusiast friends, it was a perfect day in the Douro. What follows are a few highlights.
When you arrive in the beautiful Douro Valley one naturally has to pose for a picture, even if you are not into selfies. After all, who can resist such stunning backdrops for a pose.
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| A Douro Day © Spaswinefood |
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| Hello Douro, Right Pose © Spaswinefood |
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| Hello Douro, Left Pose © Spaswinefood |
Let's Checkout Some Douro Valley Wines
Given the physical layout of the Douro it does not permit visiting many quintas (vineyards) in one day. Fortunately on a prior Douro visit I managed to visit a number quintas (Quinta Do Portal, Quinta Do Panascal and Quinta Do Seixo). This time our agenda included a visit to Quevedo's at Quinta Senhora Do Rosário.
While at Quevedo we were introduced to Quevedo and Covela wines. We began with wines from Quinta de Covela, which is located at the border of Vinho Verde and Douro wine regions. Their wines are produced from grapes grown in two of Portugal best-known wine regions.
In fact when we arrived at Quevedo we were welcomed with a refreshing Covela Rosé wine.
After a welcoming drink it was off to the Quevedo cellar for a quick look. Naturally after a general overview Oscar poured us a few samples. Yes, we did some sampling from the wine barrels. In this case we did some Port wine sampling. Without a doubt wine sampling from Port wine barrels is so much more tempting for me than most wine barrels. Given that I had met Oscar at a number of prior wine events, it was rather special for me to finally visit with him at his family winery.
Once back upstairs we continued to taste more Covela wines. One of the wines that I tasted was a Covela Edição Nacional Avesso 2013.
The tasting of Quevedo and Covela wines continued over lunch. Yes, it was time for lunch, which is always a gastronomic affair at such gatherings.
Needless to say lunch was filled with many tasty dishes. Let us take a look at the offerings on the table.
The salads were so tempting.
Yes, there were meat dishes. Let us take a peek.
Yes, I did managed to take a look at the barbecue on the way into the tasting room.
It was a stellar lunch with excellent wines. Besides the excellent Covela wines there was also some amazing Quevedo wines. One of the wines I tasted was Cláudia's wine. Here is how Quevedo describes Cláudia's wine:
"Claudia’s wine is an expression of what Claudia, the winemaker together with Teresa, love most on each harvest. Claudia’s wine is a blend of grapes from different plots. They don’t follow the some (sic same) recipe every harvest as the vines don’t produce the same grapes every year. One thing we can assure, all our grapes are hand picked and treated as small treasures."
Quevedo also produce a wine called Oscar's wine, which I did not taste. However, let me not forget Quevedo's Port wines. I did taste an amazing Quevedo 30 Year Old White Port.
It was a heavenly just to taste this Quevedo 30 Year Old White Port wine.
Overall amongst the wines I tasted it was hard not to fall in love with Covela's Rosé and Quevedo's 30 Year Old White Port.
I should not forget to say that I did admire seeing the Quevedo Port wines (Colheita, Tawny and Ruby).
As you can see we were treated royally by our hosts. Quevedo wines are available in the US from Naked Wines. Covela wines are also available in the US from David Bowler Wines.
A Dip in the Douro
It was indeed a delightfully hot July day in the Douro Valley.
Before leaving on such a hot day we took a dip in the Douro. It was a great way to cool down on a 38 degree Celsius day. Hot or not, no true wine enthusiast can get enough of the Douro. The Douro Valley port wines and its other wines sure leave a lasting impression.
All to soon it was time to board the bus back to Porto. The good news is that I traveled through the stunning valley views once more. Let me share a few photos of the breath taking views of Douro Valley quintas (or vineyards where the grapes are grown).
Yes, those stunning views do get etched in your memory.
Back to Porto: Home of Port Lodges
Two hours later I arrived back in Porto. Goodbyes were in order before returning to my hotel to rest. Early next morning, I would begin that long journey back to California.
Given the physical layout of the Douro it does not permit visiting many quintas (vineyards) in one day. Fortunately on a prior Douro visit I managed to visit a number quintas (Quinta Do Portal, Quinta Do Panascal and Quinta Do Seixo). This time our agenda included a visit to Quevedo's at Quinta Senhora Do Rosário.
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| Quevedo, Douro Valley © Spaswinefood |
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| Tasting Quevedo and Covela Wines © Spaswinefood |
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| Coeval Rosé 2015 © Spaswinefood |
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| Sampling from the Barrels © Spaswinefood |
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| Tasting Covela Wines © Spaswinefood |
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| Covela Edição Nacional Avesso 2013 © Spaswinefood |
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| Lunch is Served © Spaswinefood |
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| Douro Valley Lunch © Spaswinefood |
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| Salads © Spaswinefood |
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| Tomatoes, Tomatoes © Spaswinefood |
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| Tomatoes and More © Spaswinefood |
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| Garden Salad © Spaswinefood |
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| Meat Lover Platter © Spaswinefood |
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| For Meat Lovers © Spaswinefood |
Yes, I did managed to take a look at the barbecue on the way into the tasting room.
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| Barbecue Time © Spaswinefood |
"Claudia’s wine is an expression of what Claudia, the winemaker together with Teresa, love most on each harvest. Claudia’s wine is a blend of grapes from different plots. They don’t follow the some (sic same) recipe every harvest as the vines don’t produce the same grapes every year. One thing we can assure, all our grapes are hand picked and treated as small treasures."
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| Quevedo Cláudia's 2013 © Spaswinefood |
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| Quevedo 30 Year Old White Port © Spaswinefood |
Overall amongst the wines I tasted it was hard not to fall in love with Covela's Rosé and Quevedo's 30 Year Old White Port.
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| Covela Rosé 2015 © Spaswinefood |
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| Quevedo 30 Year Old White Port © Spaswinefood |
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| Quevedo, Colheita 1996, 1997 and 2000 © Spaswinefood |
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| Quevedo 40 Year Old Tawny Port © Spaswinefood |
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| Quevedo Tawny and Ruby Port © Spaswinefood |
A Dip in the Douro
It was indeed a delightfully hot July day in the Douro Valley.
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| Swimmers, Douro Valley © Spaswinefood |
All to soon it was time to board the bus back to Porto. The good news is that I traveled through the stunning valley views once more. Let me share a few photos of the breath taking views of Douro Valley quintas (or vineyards where the grapes are grown).
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| Douro Valley Time © Spaswinefood |
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| Douro Valley Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
Two hours later I arrived back in Porto. Goodbyes were in order before returning to my hotel to rest. Early next morning, I would begin that long journey back to California.
I must note that while in Porto the port lodges in the historic Vila Nova de Gaia are a must visit. It is hard to pass up a tasting of Port wines at places, like Taylor's Port Lodge at the top of the Gaia hillside overlooking Porto. Moreover, the view from there is absolutely majestic.
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| View from Taylor's Port Lodge © Spaswinefood |
If time permits take a walk down the hill towards the Douro River waterfront. There you will find the other well-known port lodges, such as Sandeman's. I still remember visiting Sandeman's Quinta do Seixo in the Duoro Valley during an earlier visit.
I left Porto with many fond memories and knowing that I must come back soon to explore, not only to taste more port wines, but also more wines and local foods. Obviously the Douro Valley is place that should top most #winelovers list. Special thanks to Catavino for organizing this adventure. Spaswinefood looks forward to further adventures in Portugal. I invite you to join me in my travels in Portugal and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.
Sharon
July 2016
ReplyDeleteYour blog is awesome. You have clearly understood...It’s very useful for us to know about new things. Keep on blogging.
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