Lunch at the Estate, Not at a Restaurant

Nine hours, leaving at 8:30 from Lapa church in Porto. The difference between this Douro day and most others is where you eat: lunch is served at a historic wine estate rather than at a restaurant in a town, which means the tasting continues through the meal instead of pausing for it.

The drive inland covers the region's history and how the wine is made before you see any of it. Once in the valley you stop at a viewpoint above São Cristóvão do Douro, where the river bends below and the terraces climb both banks.

The first winery is near Lamego, on the south side, and the visit takes you through how Douro and port wines are made before a guided tasting of DOC Douro wines. Then Pinhão, which is the centre of gravity for the whole region and where most of the best-known estates keep their quintas, and fifty minutes on the river.

Lunch and the second tasting happen at a quinta near Peso da Régua, the town that has handled the region's wine trade since the demarcation. The road back uses the N222 along the river.

Groups are small and capped at fifteen. Lunch comes in meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan versions, which is more than most operators here manage. There is a half-day version with one estate instead of two. Guided in Portuguese, English or Spanish, occasionally two languages on the same departure.

Eat breakfast before you come: the coach usually goes straight to the first stop. Pickup is only offered on the up-to-eight and private options, and bring your own seat for a child under four. Nine or ten hours is the plan, traffic decides the rest, so leave the evening free.