Best Belvederes in the Douro Valley

The Best Belvederes on the Douro Valley post is the 5th installment of my Douro Valley Wine Travel Guide, where I have already shared with you the Best Wine Hotels, Wine Tours and Food experiences in the Douro.

Travelling through the Douro Valley is all about finding the best vantage point to take that amazing photograph home - The sculpted mountains, the valley carved by the river and plenty of green and blue hues. While there are plenty of places that can accommodate to this purpose, there are some which make the view even more inspiring. Here is my selection of the best belvederes in the Douro Valley.

Quinta do Crasto

Quinta do Crasto could easily be the top choice when it comes to the best winery in the Douro Valley. Its wines are acclaimed worldwide, especially in Brazil where they are seen as the highest ranked DOC wines in the market. However when one finds himself within the Quinta do Crasto, the impressiveness of its infinity pool overlooking the Douro Valley is unmissable. Of course there are other places where the view is superb, and there are also some other locations where there is an infinity pool with a view, but trust me on this, the one at Quinta do Crasto is special.

The attached image that I took at Quinta do Crasto should be the official postcard for what travelling the Douro is all about - enjoying premium quality Portuguese wines, in a private estate, within an infinity pool designed by a Pritzker winner Portuguese architect, while overlooking the most beautiful wine region in the World.

Quinta do Seixo

Quinta do Seixo is without a doubt the most modern and most commercial of all the Douro Valley's Quintas. It belongs to one of the big four families in the Douro Sogrape Wines, responsible for the invention of the old ambassador for Portuguese wines in the world - Mateus Rosé. When you step into the winery you almost feels like entering a designer's dream of how a place where wine is made should look like. There are almost no curve lines and the interior walls are all painted in black.  There is even a raised walkway from where you can admire the robot steeping on the grapes during harvest season.

Nevertheless the best show is outside the wine tasting bar. Because of the Quinta do Seixo's strategic location, you can see the biggest stretch of the Douro - all the way from Pinhão to the curve that embraces the hill here Quinta Nova is located. Quinta do Seixo is very forward thinking, so they recommended me to try some of their port wine cocktails instead of the usually boring Port Wine Tasting. My favourite was the Ruby on the Rocks, where mint and slice of lemon is added to a very distinct Sandman Founders Reserve. Tchin Tchin.

Miradouro de São Leonardo de Galafura

Miradouro de São Leonardo de Galafura is the highest point of the entire Douro Valley. On a clear day the horizon can be seen up to 30 kilometres in all directions. Besides this massive granite protruding mountain, what i enjoy most about it is the peace and tranquillity of it. There is only a little chapel in honour of Saint São Leonardo de Galafura and a small picnic area. Not café, no bathrooms, no one trying to sell you something...Its just about you, the view and the nature where you are immersed.

This is the last post from my Wine Travel Guide in the Douro Valley. I hope you have enjoyed it and that I could inspire you to travel to Douro, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world.