A day trip to the Douro Valley

Thistles and Kiwis

On Saturday, we decided to go on a wine tasting tour of the Douro Valley. We got picked up in a mini van at 08:30 with 4 other passengers and set off on the scenic route into the valley.

We stopped briefly at Régua, walking over the bridge and making use of local amenities.

From there we were taken on a small boat trip along the river, enjoying a white port and tonic drink with some lovely snacks of local cheese, ham and bread. This was a lot of fun with our guide regaling us with tales of how port was first made and how the barrels were transported down the river in flat bottom boats.

Our next stop was at Quinta da Foz, where we were shown where the wines are made and stored. The grapes are still picked by hand, which given the nature of landscape with its steep hills and terraces (see featured image and those below). Moreover, the grapes here are still pressed by foot in the big stone tanks you can see below. The large barrels are for port.

While the wines and port here may not have been our favourites (we tried a white, a red and two ports) the setting and views were wonderful.

From there we drove to our next destination, stopping for some photos over the valley. The one on the left below is also the featured image at the top of the post.

Our next stop also included a long, and delicious lunch with a lot of meat, very few veggies, cake, white wine, red wine and some very good port.

We also met this ginger cat. It was a great day out and we got to see a lot, and were back at the hotel by 18:00.

Apologies for a brief post and if I don’t get back to comments quickly it is because we start the long journey home tomorrow.

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer and good food. Thistles and Kiwis can be found on Facebook and Instagram @thistlesandkiwis

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Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

34 Comments

  6. Wish I could have been there with you! Have never been to the Douro Valley and wine tasting is one of my most cherished activities. You struck a beautiful day for your last one this time around on the Continent. Hope you are having a peaceful and comfortable trip home as I keyboard this . . . Down Under will be happy to have you back . . .

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  11. The white port and tonic on the boat sounds like the perfect way to ease into a wine tour, and I appreciate you being honest that the wines weren’t your favourites while the setting still stole the day. Travelling with our kids has taught us that the views (and the random ginger cat!) often outlast the ‘official’ highlights in everyone’s memory. Grapes still pressed by foot is wonderful too. Safe travels on the long journey home.

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