First of all the day started with a hotel pick up by tour guide Nuno who drove us to the Douro…read moreValley area. On the way there he gave us a background on port wine and its history in the area. In all honesty, I felt as if a friend that I have not seen for a while hung out with me for the day. Nuno who is quite knowledgeable and funny. I spent the day laughing, listening and asking questions. There wasn't any awkwardness or boring time during this whole guided trip. Also, I have to mention, he has a good command of the English language; so there wasn't any moments of miscommunication.
Our first stop was at the great and beautiful Quinta Seara dOrdens, which was a small scale producer in the Douro Valley. A family member from the quinta guided us through the port wine making process on the property. He also was very nice and informative. The views from his property were very, very beautiful of this unique terraced wine region. We then moved on to the grand finally which included tastings of his regular (not port) wines and his port wines. Included in the tasting, was bread with delicious olive oil and delicious grape jam, which are both also produced on the property. The first thing that popped into my head was, "Why don't I have access to these products back in Chicago?" Portuguese products overall are very underrated back home anywhere in the United States. Portugal produces many great wines, ports, and cheeses. Okay, back to my tasting, I wanted to take everything home. The wine was perfectly refreshing and crisp. The red wine was medium bodied like a good Spanish tempranillo. The ports were some of the best I have ever tried anywhere. We tried the ruby, the white, tawny, and the rose. The ruby tasted like a very good and complex heavy red wine which would pair up perfectly with a good beef steak or lamb. The white (which I have never seen in the US) was like a good sherry. The tawny with its darker color was also like a delicious mature sherry with complexity. The rose (another port I have never seen in the US) was very good. The olive oil was absolutely delicious as was the grape jam, which were both served with fresh crusty bread. In all honesty, I wanted to some of everything home with me. Unfortunately, I was constrained to the extra space in my luggage which had enough space for one of their vintages, a ruby, a bottle of olive oil, and a small bottle of jam!!
After the tasting, we had lunch at a very good rated Michelin restaurant.
After lunch, we Nuno drove us to one of the towns on the Douro river to experience a cruise down the center of this beautiful valley. On both sides of the valley we could see the names of all of the famous, and some not so famous, port producers. After the scenic boat ride we stopped in the town of Favaio to sample award winning muscatel wine. Well, before our arrival I warned Nuno that I was not a fan of muscatel wine. After viewing their town muscatel wine museum Nuno handed me a glass of their wine. I braced myself, then slowly sipped. It was as if I had never had muscatel wine before. It was not super sweet, yet vibrant; therefore, after my one sip I was an instant fan. I had never had a muscatel wine that good before! Nuno was nice enough to make an extra stop at the town cooperative so that I could purchase a bottle of the wine that I had tasted. After this last tasting, we drove back to Porto, where we started, for a drop off at our hotel.
Do I recommend this tour? Yes! Who would I recommend it to? Everyone! You will never forget the beauty of this valley! I highly recommend this tour, and if possible request Nuno as your guide so that you can have the same great experience that I had. I wish you, happy and safe travels.
