----- Douro Daytrip from Porto -----
We signed up long ago for a daytrip to the Douro River vineyards. We were picked in front of our apartment in a nice 8-person van with a very nice driver/tour guide.
We picked up the other six people, a couple from England, a couple from Michigan, and a couple from Australia, all nice people.
It took about an hour and a half to get to the little town of Pinhão on the Douro River. We used the facilities, some of us got coffee and a snack.
We were getting excited to see some vineyards and taste some wine!
It was another beautiful day in Portugal!
"A Pinhão Vineyard" in azulejos. Many of the older vineyards were planted on terraces blasted out of the hillsides.
Like these...
...and these
I took these photos out the side window of the van while it was moving up the hill to our first winery.
The road got more narrow as we ascended
and the scenery got more spectacular!
We've arrived! We saw many antique wooden wheels with this peculiar "spoke" pattern.
Looking down on the Douro and countless vineyards
and here we are
and here we are again!
a bend in the river
Click here for a panoramic video of the river.
Quinta Do Jalloto is a small independent producer.
They sell to restaurants and shops in Portugal as well as to visitors to the winery. I saw these boxes that looked like American-style wine club shipping boxes but they were not. And they don't have wine clubs. I asked.
I asked her, our friendly hostess.
They age their table wines in French, American and Hungarian (I think) oak barrels.
Next on the agenda was a boat ride up and down the river.
From the river, you can get an idea of the extent of the vineyards.
Many of the big Port producers have signs along the river similar to this one, I guess indicating ownership.
This is some of our group and a second group of eight with the same tour company.
After the boat tour it was time for lunch and this is where we ate.
And this is our group, Australia, England and Michigan, left to right.
England and Michigan having a chat.
Our last stop was Quinta de Santa Eufémia.
Another small production winery with an ancient chapel as its focal point.
I like the logo
At the foot of the hill is a giant wine storage facility. It wasn't quite clear if it had a single owner or was some sort of co-op, but it had more giant stainless steel tanks than I have ever seen in one location.
But at Quinta de Santa Eufémia, they do things the old-fashioned way.
We were about a week too late to join in grape stomping but we got the idea. It's hard work and your feet are purple for a week!
We were all pretty tired and I didn't take any more photos on the ride back to Porto. It was a fun day with nice people. We all traded emails and vowed to keep in touch.
For our last dinner in Porto, we selected the Italian restaurant that was just one building away from ours.
Again, good pizza! Have I mentioned that we enjoyed a few pizzas in Portugal?
