La Dolce Vita Wine Tours

The Douro Valley

Reinventing Portugese Wine

Slide Show:

Oporto, Portugal’s second largest city, sits on the mouth of the Douro River
Rabelos once carried Port 100 miles downstream, from the vineyards to the aging lodges
Casks for aging ruby port at Graham’s lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia
Our two days in Oporto also include tastings at Graham’s, Ramos Pinto, Kopke, Calem, and Taylor.
Learning the various styles of ruby and tawny Port at Graham’s.
On day 3 we move upstream to the vineyards. Here, Niepoort’s Quinta do Napoles.
Niepoort is a historic Port firm, but has also moved into dry table wine
“The Douro Boys” are spearheading the rise of top-quality Douro DOC wines.
Our visit to Niepoort includes a homemade lunch.
Another key member of the Douro Boys: Christian Van Zeller at Quinta Vale Dona Maria
The Tedo tributary flows into the Douro River, covered in mist.
Quinta do Tedo, owned by a family from Burgundy, is among the Port producers that sprung up after a change in Port laws in 1987.
Quinta do Tedo’s terraced vineyards in spring.
All aboard! The train from Pinhão to Quinta do Vesuvio passes through some of the most spectacular stretches of the Douro valley.
Warre’s terraced vineyards
Terraced cover the steep granite and schist hills flanking the river.
Way upstream, the Vesuvio wine estate has its own train stop.
Dona Antonia was Portugal’s answer to Veuve Clicquot, being the largest landholder in the Douro.
Quinta do Vesuvio was Dona Antonia’s favorite among her 30 wineries. Is it any wonder?
At Vesuvio, Port is still made the old-fashioned way—with foot-treading in granite lagars.
The aging casks for Vesuvio’s single-quinta Port.
Jackie Dias from Symington, our gracious host at Quinta do Vesuvio, offers the succulent 1996.