The Details
Your week begins in the bustling northern city of Porto, Portugal’s gateway to the Atlantic since Roman times. The city is famous for its medieval architecture, its riverfront café culture, and its port wines – our resident guide will give you an introduction to day-to-day life in Porto, its fascinating history and its robust, seasonal cuisine.
Your next stop is the grandiose Sao Bento train station – the start point for your journey on the famous Douro Valley Line. Sao Bento’s elaborate azulejo artwork is quite a contrast to the charmingly-dishevelled trains which are the backbone of the Linho Douro. Gruff 1960s diesel engines, the retired workhorses of Portugal’s state-owned railway network, pull tousled 1970s coaches through a stunning landscape of terraced vineyards and remote olive farms. What might be seen as a heritage railway in other countries is alive and well here in Portugal, and it’s to be applauded: it’s also been under threat of modernisation for over twenty-years – now’s the time to ride the line before it’s gone.
Your destination is the peaceful riverfront hamlet of Pinhao – the true centre of port wine production. On foot and by boat, you’ll see how almost every acre of this undulating landscape is turned over to wine production. Grape yields are often the lowest in the country, and yet Douro wines are coveted for their complex and intense flavour. The Romans established the first vineyards here over 2000 years ago, and their mantra of ‘quality over quantity’ has withstood the test of time.
