Language is wine upon the lips. Virginia Woolf
Douro Valley Wine Days.....takin' the slow train.....
We leave Porto and head east by train into the Douro Valley to sample the wine and good eats this fabulous region has to offer. The train follows the Douro River (the river of gold) for most of its journey inland.
As usual...we have a rough plan of what to see.....where to stay......and means of transport.....
So...pull up an easy chair....put on a pair of warm socks...(cause it's even @#$%ing cold in Portugal as we blog)....pour a good glass of port....and join the journey with us .....as.....we chug along up the Douro Valley...to the clickety-clack of the slow train travelin' deep into wine country.....and like the train journey...it's a page turner......Happy Reading!
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THE DUORO VALLEY JOURNEY
PART 1
We leave from Porto on one of the several daily scheduled trains. Like all the trains we've taken in Portugal in nearly a month of travel , ours is clean, comfortable, cheap and leaves on time. No need to buy tickets ahead of time. Just arrive at a station window or just hop on.... as a 'ticket checker' arrives shortly after each stop and will sell you one.
This trip is ranked up there ....as one of the more visually stunning train journeys that could be taken.
The train takes about 4.5 hrs to go from the mouth of the Douro River at Porto to the end of the tracks near the Portuguese -Spanish border.
The first hour sees the train slowly shedding the city skyline and surrounding suburbs east of Porto. Then....passing through one tunnel....wobbling around another corner....it happens.... we are there..., welcomed by the beauty of the Douro Valley and the shimmering, golden coloured waters of the namesake river.
We are transported back a millennium to a region that has grown grapes for that long. The days of barrels...bulls ...and wagons ...and lugging 70 lb baskets of grapes up and down the endless and near vertical back breaking hills....is still happening.
Terraced vineyards climb the steep hills beside us...the deep, dry fall colours of red, green..and yellows....from mustard to custard and even the sun-yellows on a hazy November day are there....the hues stretch before us.....
Sprinkled here and there are the Quintas (or estates) of the valleys....these magnificent stone structures sit dangerously close to the cliff edge and command a view from every corner...some Quintas have produced wines in the Douro for over 250 years...others are relatively new comers.
The train passes through towns, tiny villages and seemingly sleepy train stations. People get on and off...some on holiday....others heading to shop or visit friends down the tracks....
Although, one can easily ride the train to the end of the line and return to Porto in the same day, it leaves no time to explore...
We've decided to break the trip up over several days and plan to stop in Régua...which is about 2 hours up river from Porto....we've booked a stay at Quintas de Marrocos ...to sip, sample...and taste ... (www.golddrink.pt).....
.....Ah....we hear a-whistle blowing....
..must be our stop....time to get off....
PS....no worries..,we'll get back on the train in a bit...
Located several kilometres outside of Régua, this former convent with an amazing vista over the Duoro River, is one of the oldest vineyards in the region having been with the family for over 4 generations. It's here, we've checked in for the night...to be pampered in some old world charm.
With only 2 rooms occupied in the 5 bedroom manor, we are treated like family. A fire fueled by vine wood in the front room warms us as we sip on the farm's port and munch on some fresh baking. Our host 'n owner César, welcomes us in fine English to ensure we are comfortable. A few stories are added and we already feel at home. César has passed much of the Quintas' operations over to his daughters...one is the wine master, while the other runs the books.
After settling into our 263 year old room with mostly original furniture...
...we check out the estate property filled with hidden pathways and fruit trees (oranges, apples, quince, lime)
Before our 7 course dinner...we join a small wine tour that has arrived...together we get a tour of the grounds...the wine making facilities and taste the ports....whites through reds...it whets our appetite for dinner...
Luis tells us that most vineyards are planted on slopes with a 40% grade and more...
This particular winery still exclusively uses grape stomping to crush the grapes as shown above...hiring locals to do the stomping for 4 hours each evening during harvest.
Here are their 60 year old barrels used complete with spiders to eat the fruit flies that are attracted to the natural barrel leakage. The finished product ready for sale done with a bottle filling station run by hand rather than machines like in some of the larger Quintas.
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And now, we just have to show you this entire 7 course meal and its presentation...
Best of all....it's just the two of us.....Dinner is served starting with a cool glass of port along with garlicy olives and bread from the Quinta.
Along the way...port began our dinner...followed by red...white and even a rose....with crème brûlée dessert x 2...
All from the Quintas de Marrocos estate. Stuffed?...for sure.....but we did take the Marrocos Reserve red back to our room for a night cap along with extra chocolate that they were determined we should have. Fabulous!!
The next morning....we are treated to a sumptuous breakfast of breads, buns, meats, cheeses...farm made jams...coffee, tea and fresh squeezed orangeorange...
Our most wonderful stay at a magnificent Quinta is now over...
(www.golddrink.pt ... or...www.quintademarrocos.com)
....Time to move on.....
...we grab a taxi for the quick ride back to Régua... we have a train to catch .....
PART 2
All aboard!!! Back on the train....Gang!
We hop the train for a short 30 minute ride up the valley to the postcard perfect village of Pinhão. Tucked in a bend along the east bank of the Douro River....Pinhão is the perfect jumping off point for wine tasting....Quinta stays...hiking...or visiting tiny, isolated villages high in the mountains overlooking the river.
And, look at the vista...
Plus on this (as we blog) clear blue late fall sunny afternoon there is no better place to be...than here.... sipping your favourite grape on the water's edge by the little wine truck parked on the town's waterfront.
We have scored a great little apartment for our stay in Pinhão.
Rita, our host, who owns and manages the rental, is over the top in making sure our stay (even for a night) is perfect. Sorry no pics.
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And .....again....this genuine interest in making sure we "are OK", has happened with homestays, service, directions or just getting on the right train all through our journey.
Portugal is a very friendly, easy going country. Her people are proud, friendly, warm and hospitable. ....
....but, we digress...Back to the Douro...
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We spend the day in Pinhão wandering the small town streets, eating and visiting several wineries. Everything is easily walkable....which is a great thing...considering how much wine and port can be consumed sampling your way through the day.
Driving a car along the Douro is an option and is easily done. It's considered one of the great rides to take. Having a car does allow you to visit remote villages or stay at distant farm estates.
After a delicious long lunch at a riverside restaurant, we wander along the town's river pathway or Avenida.
At one end of town....we visit the Quinta do Bomfim winery....Here we taste some great red wine and 20 year port. The winery is spread along the riverbank and its tasting room is modern, European, chic.
...then crossing the narrow bridge, we walk over to the Carvalhas Estate and home to the oldest winery in the Douro...At 256 yrs old....it's even older than Canada.
.....we sit and sample some 20 year port and a well recommended red from the wine steward..
...Fabulous to be in this old, world environment.
Around the room are pictures of old, showcasing how the wine industry began..
Rolling wine barrels onto their boat transport
Carrying grape baskets
Dumping the grapes
Oxen transporting the large barrels
In the late afternoon sun, we head back into Pinhão, strolling down the 'main street' and step inside Pedro's cafe (and partner to Rita)....we are here to see the wine cellar that Rita's grandfather literally blew out of the shist rock wall with dynamite at the back of this tiny cafe.
At the time, locals said it couldn't be done...that the buildings' walls would come tumbling down...but....as you can see ..... it's not only a cool place to store wine....but a 'cool' story.
By dark, Pinhão goes to sleep. The only lights 'on' are from the several river boat cruise ships docked along the town's shoreline. These flat, barge like vessels ply the river daily bringing tourists on week long trips. Not for us, though.
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PART 3
....leaving Pinhão....by boat
We awake to a bright, cloud free day and decide to ferry up the river to the little village of Tua.
Ah, those steep hills...
We catch a ride aboard one of the wine barrel transport boats called 'rabelos'. These unique designed vessels are more likely to carry 'bunches of tourists', than barrels of wine these days.
The captain agrees to let us off upstream, rather than return to Pinhão. No problem, he says...so we pull away from the dock....and enjoy the stunning views motoring along on this quiet, calm morning with a port in hand, albeit in a plastic glass...
PART 4
Arrival in Tua....return to Porto
We hop off the boat after an hour putting upstream drinking in the views..as well as the wine....
According to the train schedule.....we have about 10 minutes to get off the boat, climb the hill and get to the village station....seems plenty of time to catch the train heading back to Porto.
Our assumption that the train station would be just up the pathway from the boat dock....seems a tad optimistic.
While we find the tracks...we find no trace of anything remotely resembling a whistle stop in these parts.
We had read the original station stop had moved....but to where?
An old gentleman comes out and explains in perfect Portuguese that this is not Tua (or so we think with our lack of Portuguese)
What we do figure out finally...as time ticks down (we have scant minutes left)...and these trains most certainly doarrive/leave on time...is that the station is about....
......a kilometre away ...ahhh! ....So off we stagger down the tracks...
heading to a station ...somewhere around the next bend.
Where, we arrive...just as the train whistles its final approach to the station...
We grab seats and pay the conductor a few minutes later as he passes through the car, while the train heads back to Porto.
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Epilogue
Reflections from the 'caboose...as we chug back to Porto
The Douro Valley is beautiful. The river has been dammed in a number of places for flood control and hydroelectric power.
The wine and port industry is flourishing, but many in the business worry about their future. Although, well regulated and a growing recognition world wide of the quality produced, there is concern about attracting workers to do the hard labor, continuing family run operations and keeping people in the Douro Valley region, rather than seeing people leave for the big city. In addition, climate issues, rising production costs all leave a sour taste in many as they see a way of life and livelihood threatened.
Time will tell...but today on the Douro Valley wine train....we are relaxed and rested as the wheels on the tracks...go clackety-clack...and ...best of all.....we still have a bottle of the Marrocos Reserve to finish!
To those who drink the grape.....we salute you!
Tchau!!
Shayne y Yvonne
We are born at a given moment, in a given place and, like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born. Astrology does not lay claim to anything more. Carl Jung
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