Every wine lover knows the name “Douro”. The Douro region is one of the most notable wine regions in the world for a large number of reasons. Either it is because of the quality of the Port wine that is produced nearby, the beautiful Douro River, its amazing vineyard-covered landscapes, or the number of wine cellars, everyone that enjoys wine knows that the Douro Wine Tourism is a Thing.
However, is the Douro known only for big wine cellars such as Quinta do Vallado, Quinta da Pacheca, or Murganheira? Or, is it still an undiscovered wine region that has much more to show. Clearly, there is much more to Douro Valley than just the most popular winemakers, or main wine tourism attractions.
We found a true Wine tourism Douro Pearl very unexpectedly that surely made our week.
Quinta da Valdalágea
After a day trip in one of Douro Valley cruizes, we wanted to spend the night in the middle of this magical wine tourism region called “Douro”. We looked for a cellar that was opened for tourism, and that had free rooms for the night. Luckily, we did find one: Quinta da Valdalágea. We had no idea where we were about to go because the winery was totally unknown to both of us.
In a blink, we clicked on our adventurous mode, and let’s go, let’s find a new place to tell stories about. We left the boat, entered the car, and started to drive up the Douro Valley hills. Curious enough? We thought we had made a bad decision since the goal was to stay precisely near the river… But our surprise was ahead.
Our map pointed towards a strange tunnel in the middle of the mountain. We kept driving and to our great surprise, the queue did better than the order. In addition to being in the middle of the Douro Valley, we were at the top of the Douro Valley, enjoying all the possible and imaginable views that the region has to offer.
Vineyard hike
Not only, Quinta da Valdalágea has amazing activities to be part of during our stay, an incredibly kind staff that received us with great pleasure, and truly unique wines to taste, the winery also provides its visitors with a lot of aesthetic and wine-related activities.
The winery offers several different wine tourism experiences to its visitors. From wine tastings to vineyard hikes, the wine cellar offers it all. One of the things that we have most enjoyed is that the owners allow you to hike among the vines freely, no need to have a guide or someone watching you, you can just walk for miles and miles, seeing one of the most beautiful views Douro Valley has to offer from a lot of different points of view.
The winery counts 40 hectares of vineyards. And, the vineyards are totally opened to tourists. This is quite amazing because usually, wine cellars do not allow tourists to go on long vineyard hikes without a guide. However, Quinta da Valdalágea concedes tourists with the possibility of hiking around, along with the vines, breathing vines, feeling them, watching, and truly being in contact with them. Taking us to a unique and really escapist experience, that I will never forget.
We went there before the summer when it is actually amazing to watch the beautiful landscapes. Vineyards are already grown up, incredibly green and grapes are already growing up. This hike, at the end of the day, with the sunset falling above the green Douro River, is just magical.
In three glasses of wine
By pure chance, we arrived during a wine tasting to which we were able to join. Even if the wine tasting was short, we were still presented with one White wine, one Red wine, and of course one homemade Port wine.
What is so amazing about this, is that Quinta da Valdalágea produces its own wines but sells them only in a few stores in the whole country. It is quite a selective distribution method, that immediately gave us a feeling of being involved in something unique. As a true escapist experience, we were taken somewhere else, and this place was just wonderful.
Since we did not know this winemaker, it seems quite obvious that we did not know its wines. But once again, everything happens for a reason, and, at that moment, we were supposed to be there. The wines were amazing.
- White wine: An extremely light-bodied wine, simple, fresh, fruited aroma that is quite unique to my knowledge.
- Red wine: Then, we were presented with a full-bodied red wine, dry but with a on point density that melted in our mouths.
- Port wine: To our most appreciated surprise, the owner showed us a Port wine that was not even comercialized. The production had been kept in the winery for specific travelers that went there to buy it. On the opposite of what we are used to, Quinta da Valdalágea Port wine is extremely strong and feel like no other.
In just three glasses of wine, our love for this Wine tourism Douro pearl just kept growing.
The lovers’ spot
The final highlight for the lovers’ spot. The spot was presented to us by the owner. A small table with the most amazing view! Here, you can enjoy a nice glass of wine, breathe from the vineyard surrounding. And finally, watch the beauty of the Douro river all night long.
