Pinhão

The Duoro Valley blew away all expectations. Beautiful hillsides of grape vines, a snaking river through the valley and wineries that have been producing wine for 2 thousand years! It is the smallest of the wine regions in Portugal and is the only place in the world Port wine can be made!

We booked a wine tour through Get Your Guide. We wanted to find a tour that would be less busy as often large tour buses will bring tourists out to this region. Our day started out with the 1.5 hour drive to the Duoro Valley. As we got close to the region, we began seeing the amazing sloped vineyards. Before visiting our first vineyard we hopped on a small boat and cruised down the Duoro River. It was a great way to see some of the wineries and how expansive the wine region is while enjoying sparkling wine from here! Our first winery was Quinta do Beijo - we tried a few table wines and 2 port wines. Kevin also had a chance to see what the inside of one of the wine barrels looked like! They explained, sentiment builds up in the barrels and someone’s job is to chisel it off so they can continue to be used.

The second winery we went to was situated high up on the hillside with a beautiful view of the valley. They also had 3 dogs! After tasting a few wines, we had lunch here! I had the most delicious cod with potatoes and eggs and Kevin had braised beef with roasted veg. There were also many delicious tapas shared with the table. The wine did not stop pouring!

Most of the tour guides were either friends or family of the wineries which made for a family/community feel. We also had a couple friends join us for the tour which made for a very fun day!Read more