The Douro, an unmissable refuge in Portugal. This picturesque region surrounded by the famous douro river is located in the north of Portugal. Here you will find wonderful wine, charming villages and a region full of history, flavors, knowledge, and traditions.
Using the words that took us to the Eurovision, "ai coração" (oh heart) seems to be the expression that best characterizes the feeling of coming across the unique valleys, full of life the curves and bends of the Douro.
But, let's move on to what brought you here… it turns out which wineries you really have to visit, which wines to taste, and which restaurants to visit.
10 Wineries not to miss In the Douro
Listing 10 is by no means an easy job. With breathtaking views that offer you a first-rate view of one of the best nature shows!
Quinta do Bomfim
Copyright: MARGALHA fotografia
Quinta do Bomfim is located in the heart of the first demarcated and regulated region in the world, the Alto Douro Wine Region. Visitors can appreciate the rich legacy of this estate while visiting the winery and the old aging warehouse, and can also enjoy a walk through the vineyards.
The quinta has a tasting room and an outdoor terrace with stunning views of the Douro and its vineyards, where visitors can taste the Port and Douro DOC wines produced by the family.
Restaurant at Quinta do Bomfim: Bomfim 1896 Pedro Lemos
At Quinta do Bomfim, home to Dow's Port since 1896 and farmed by the Symington family for five generations, a restaurant has been created inspired by the family kitchens in the Douro - those with large chimneys and wood-fired cooking.Bomfim 1896 with Pedro Lemos reflects the region's heritage and gastronomy brought together with the wines of Symington Family Estates.
Quinta de la Rosa
Located on a wine estate on the right bank of the Douro River, Quinta De La Rosa is a family-run property 2 km from Pinhão. Quinta de La Rosa was built in an unusual location, on a hill with steep stairs connecting the different levels beyond the Douro River. Here is produced the wine that is supplied to some of the most important Restaurants and Retailers around the world.
Guests can stay in the traditional family House or in the new and more modern building. The Quinta has two more houses: Lamelas (6 places) and Amarela (10 places), which offer an alternative accommodation and conditions for bigger parties or rental by the week.
Restaurant at Quinta de la Rosa: Cozinha da Clara
A restaurant where the memory of the matriarch of an English family living in Portugal lives on through taste. With a breathtaking view of the Douro River, Clara's kitchen celebrates the best of regional gastronomy in a beautiful contemporary setting.
Quinta da Roêda
Quinta da Roêda, in Pinhão, is one of the most traditional estates in the Alto Douro Wine Region. It has a visitor center, where you can do wine tastings and learn more about the production and about these lands.
The Croft brand is one of the most illustrious of all the Port wine producing houses. Founded in 1588, it is the oldest active company in the area and is particularly known for its Vintage Port wines and Tawnies.
Quinta das Carvalhas
Quinta das Carvalhas includes one of the most complete offers in the region, with diversified experiences and several wine tourism spaces accessible to the public. This winery has written references dating back to 1759, and has Vinhas Velhas, from post-phylloxera plantations. Visiting Quinta das Carvalhas also means getting in touch with the history and life of the oldest demarcated wine region in the world: the Alto Douro Vinhateiro, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Álvaro Martinho Lopes, Technical Director of Quinta das Carvalhas
When visiting Quinta das Carvalhas, you can get to know the works and landscapes of the Douro lands up close: the work of the vineyard (such as pruning, digging, or harvesting), olive picking or the reconstruction of traditional schist walls, for example.
Quinta do Seixo
Quinta do Seixo is located in Cima-Corgo, in the heart of the Douro Demarcated Region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Following the Douro River from Régua to Pinhão, one can easily discover this old 17th century Quinta and its contemporary design winery.
The view from Quinta do Seixo is breathtaking all year round, in a constant change of color and light. A magnificent landscape, shaped by Man on terraces and schist, in a striking contrast to the sparkling Douro River and the view of the picturesque village of Pinhão nearby.
Restaurant at Quinta do Seixo: Seixo by Vasco Coelho Santos
Copyright: www.diogorocha.pt
We are proud to announce the new gastronomic project - Seixo by Vasco Coelho Santos -, which involves Sogrape, the Euskalduna Group and Parque da Penha. The restaurant is born in Quinta do Seixo, a property with a privileged location in Cima-Corgo and a stunning view of the Douro River. Besides enjoying the best Sandeman Port wines, you can now enjoy a meal carefully thought out by Chef Vasco Coelho Santos.
The gastronomy becomes a true experience and invites comfort food and memories, combining a differentiating characteristic: fire cooking.
Quinta de Ventozelo
Quinta de Ventozelo. It is not only the view of the Douro River, or the well lined vineyards that amazes, it is also the stunning and penetrating silence and the unmistakable wealth of aromas that fill your lungs with every step. The magnitude of what one feels when visiting the Quinta inspires one to discover this place in depth.
Restaurant at Quinta de Ventozelo: Cantina de Ventozelo
Copyright: Luis Ferraz / Quinta Ventozelo
Copyright: TimeOut
At Cantina de Ventozelo, the restaurant of the Ventozelo Hotel & Quinta, they take their guests on a journey through the regional gastronomy of the Douro and Trás-os-Montes, to find what is most authentic and genuine.
Quinta do Vallado
Quinta do Vallado welcomes its guest in its comfortable Wine Hotel since 2005. It belonged to the legendary Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira and remains to this day as property of her descendants. It is located on the banks of the River Corgo, a tributary of the Douro River, right next to the river mouth near the town of Peso da Régua.
For nearly 200 years the Quinta do Vallado was primarily engaged in the production of Port wine, subsequently marketed by Casas Ferreira (that belonged to the Family). After Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, her great grand-son - Jorge Viterbo Ferreira and her great-great grand-son - Jorge Cabral Ferreira - were responsible for the great development and growth of the Quinta.
The new barrel cellar, built in 2009, combines the latest technology with a high quality architecture that makes this Quinta one of the places to visit in the Douro Valley.
Quinta do Crasto
Located in the heart of the Douro River valley, on its right bank, between Régua and Pinhão, Quinta do Crasto has been owned by the family of Leonor and Jorge Roquette for more than a century.
Quinta do Crasto produces annually several categories of Table Wines and Port Wines. With the dedication and effort of the winemakers and all those who are part of our team, we try year after year to produce wines with the typical characteristics of the Douro, in a process of great respect for tradition and simultaneously, of permanent learning, improvement and innovation.
Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo extends over 120 ha of land, referenced since the first pombaline demarcation in 1756. Harmoniously integrated in one of the hills of the property is the original winery, dated 1764, and the 19th century manor house with the chapel (1765). Having been property of the Portuguese Royal House until 1725, it became a "new farm" by the junction of two farms into one. During the 18th and 19th centuries, several Portuguese families lived here and gave life to the vineyards and wine, the fruit orchards, the watermill next to the old olive grove and the stream that crosses the farm, during an important time in Douro agriculture.
Learn about Quinta Nova's growth project, on a property located in the Upper Douro, in the current expansion area of the Douro Wine Region.
Quinta da Pacheca
The Quinta da Pacheca estate located in Lamego, is a wine property of the Douro region. Mentioned for the first time in a document dated April 1738, which had the reference "da Pacheca" because it belonged to D. Mariana Pacheco Pereira.
The Quinta overlooking the Douro River, one of the best known, was one of the pioneers in bottling Port Wine under its own brand name. This typical property, surrounded by an extensive private area with vineyards, was bought in 1903 by Dom José Freire de Serpa Pimentel when he began his interest in enology, dedicating himself seriously to the winemaking business.
Unmissable Experiences at Quinta da Pacheca: Painting with wine and sleeping in a barrel
Paiting with Wine at ATELIÊ D'OR with Óscar Rodrigues
This creative proposal for an incursion into the fine arts addresses several types of art, from ceramics to painting, from tiles to sculpture. With unique and different challenges, visitors are invited to sculpt on old vine stumps or paint on a canvas whatever their creativity dictates.
Sleeping in a barrel
Have you ever imagined yourself sleeping inside a wine barrel? Now this can become a reality. The Wine House Hotel at Quinta da Pacheca was already dedicated to wine tourism with experiences in the Douro vineyards, but now it has reached the next level.
Come and contemplate the wonderful views (and wines) of the Douro. An experience not to be missed... Book now, with us.