Dreaming of Douro
Douro Valley, Portugal is one of the prettiest places I’ve even seen with my own two eyes. The green terraced hills hold rows and rows and rows of Portuguese grapes. Many of which will be used to make Port wines. The region is known for making Port (a sweeter dessert wine meant to be enjoyed after a nice dinner). I never really had a palate for Port wines until traveling to Portugal. When in Rome (or Douro Valley), right?
All Port wines come from the Douro Region of Portugal. After the earthquake of 1755, the Prime Minister of Portugal needed a way to raise money for the rebuild and fast. He designated a specific region of Porto THE Port wine making region. Supply vs. demand ended up favoring the Prime Minister’s new policy.
We decided to book a wine tour of the region and learn a little bit more about the Port / wine making processes. Douro Valley is only about a 30-40 minute drive outside of Porto, so it made for a great day trip!
We first stopped at Quinto do Tedo, a small, independent wine maker that sits just off of the water. The tour guide showed us their barrel rooms and explained the process of harvesting grapes/aging the Port in barrels. All of their grapes are picked by hand (since the terracing of the land makes it hard for machines to operate). She mentioned that many of the grapes are actually stomped, the OLD FASHIONED WAY! I loved to learn that many of their wine making processes have remained the same - the Portuguese traditions hold strong!
There are a couple of different kinds of Port wines, often classified by their color. The color of the Port wines has to do with the oxidation factor. The higher the oxidation levels, the lighter in color the Port wines will be. The colors can change from violet, orange, amber and gold. Tawny Port is aged longer to create the lighter color (I ended up buying a bottle of it)!
After tasting a couple of different Port wines (did you know you can make a rosé Port?!?), we headed off to another independent winery. D’Origem. D’Origem is an olive oil maker as well as a winery. They also have some of the best views of Douro Valley (the owner mentioned that the deck of the winery had previously won an award for best views in the valley). I wholeheartedly believed him. The views were incredible and the wine / olive oils were also delicious. If I could build a house on the side of a hill in Douro Valley, I would. This wish has already made it on my list of retirement goals.
Visiting Douro Valley was one of my favorite days of the trip. It was easy to fall in love with the cascading landscape, peaceful river, and sunny skies. And, I’m sure being surrounded by some of the world’s greatest wines didn’t hurt, either. I would 100% return to visit Douro Valley and look to extend my stay in the region. So much to taste, so little time!
