Douro Valley Wine Tour: Calling all wine lovers

The Douro Valley is Portugal’s most famous wine region and home to some of the best wineries in the world. So if you are in Porto or even Portugal you should consider taking a Douro Valley Wine tour.

Douro Valley wines are unique in the grape varieties and make the local vineyards the perfect place to try different types of wines–from local premium wines to deep and luscious Port wines. You can also do an olive oil tasting at many of these vineyards.

So whether you enjoy a glass of port or a light table wine, the Douro region has it all.

Why take a Douro Valley Wine Tour?

Not only are you going to taste delicious wines, but you will immerse yourself in history and tradition. The Douro Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s oldest demarcated wine region, with a rich history in winemaking traditions dating back centuries. A tour allows you to experience this rich heritage firsthand.

Visiting each Quinta or estate will give you the experience of the Douro’s steep, terraced vineyards that create a microclimate to produce these distinctive wines. The Douro Valley’s dramatic landscapes, with winding rivers and vineyards carved into steep hillsides, offer stunning scenery at every turn, making for a truly picturesque experience.

While you are basking in the beauty of the vineyard, you will learn about Port wine production, an intricate process from grape harvesting to ageing in the iconic Port wine cellars.

You also get to indulge in local cuisine and hospitality. Many quintas offer wine and food pairings, allowing you to savor the region’s gastronomy alongside its premier wines and experience genuine Portuguese hospitality.

And the best part about a tour? You get to taste rare and exceptional wines. From robust red table wines to luscious Ports, a Douro Valley wine tour provides the opportunity to sample some of Portugal’s finest and rarest wines directly from the source.

A Douro Valley wine tour is a chance to immerse yourself in a unique winemaking culture, indulge in exceptional wines, and create lasting memories in one of the world’s most beautiful wine regions.

Two main ways to do the Douro Valley wine tour

Book it through a service or company

Book a private tour with Get Your Guide or Viator or another company. We have done these tours and love them for several reasons: 1.)someone else is driving, 2.) a local guide shows you places that the tour guides in the wineries do not, and 3.) lunch is included! These tours are usually done in small groups of no more than 8 which makes them more personal and it is easier to ask questions of your guide. They are a full-day tour (8+ hours) but a unique opportunity to see beautiful scenery, try the local flavors and have a memorable experience.

Of course a big part of these tours is your tour guide. Often these people make or break the trip no matter how much wine you drink. Personally, we have had a good tour guide and a great tour guide and still enjoyed the tour immensely.

Douro Wine Tour Itinerary

First, your guide will pick you up in Porto at a designated meeting point, sometimes at your hotel, sometimes at a designated point. We were staying in Gaia our second time and had to walk across the bridge to Porto for the pickup. It was not a problem.

Depending on the type of tour (ours was small group), we pick up a few other people (no more than 8 in this group) and drive about an hour and 15 min to the valley. Usually, the guide will stop along the way for nice views, coffee and pastry. We drove into Pinhão for coffee and pastry and then enjoyed a quick tour of the train station where they have beautiful tiles displayed of the wine production in the valley.

Two wine tastings

You get two wine tastings and a tour of the Quinta (wine estate). The first is before lunch at a Quinta closer to Pinhão, one of the main towns, and the second usually closer to Porto which makes it a shorter drive back. Each guided tour is about an hour and a half and includes tastings of 3-5 wines. Depending on the winery, you may only try port wine or you may get table wine and port.

The tour also includes a walk around the grounds and a lesson on the wine-making process. During harvest season (August-September) You can also see first hand how the grapes are picked and processed.

Lunch Provided

A meal is provided on these tours and it is usually at a local restaurant that serves traditional Portuguese lunch. They do ask if you have dietary needs or issues. Our guide was a vegetarian and so they made him a special plate. Both meals we have had were incredible. We had chicken and lamb the first time we went and grilled dourada (fish) the second time. They showed us how to debone the fish since it is served whole and comes with potatoes and salad. Oh, and there is all you can drink wine.

Boat cruise

Somewhere in the tour you will also get to go on an authentic boat tour up the Douro River. This part of the tour can be great or really boring depending on your tour guide.

The first time we did this, it was August and HOT and we just went up the river and back with no commentary or tour. Our tour guide did not go with us and the boat crew did not interact. We had no real idea what we were seeing. The second time, our tour guide went with us and explained about the ruins, Quintas, and how the river was used to transport the wine. Plus, he brought a bottle of Vinho Verde to share. That made the cold boat ride in March way better. And he gave us a bottle of that wine to take home.

In short, if you are strapped for time to plan a tour for yourself or just need a one day , booking a tour is way worth it. We had a great time, didn’t worry about driving, and tasted some amazing wines and ports.

Plan it Yourself

If you have the time, planning a trip to the Douro Valley is a great option. This allows you to plan which vineyards you want to visit and you can choose your own restaurants for lunch and dinner. You can also make this a multiple day trip if you have the time. We hope one day to take the train and a river boat cruise to the Douro Valley

Getting to the Douro Valley

You can drive yourself from Porto if you have a car but you can also take a train journey. It is easiest to leave from São Bento Station (plus you get to see all the pretty tiles) and the trip can take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The First stop is in Peso da Régua or you can continue on to Pinhão (about 2.5 hours). On Saturdays, there is a classic diesel train that runs visitors from Régua to Pinhão and Tua and back again. It is a 3 hour trip.

You can also take a boat trip or river cruise. It takes about 7 hours to get to Régua and a little longer if you are headed to Pinhão. It includes lunch and some good sunning on the decks if the weather holds.

Quinta’s on the Douro Valley Wine Region

When choosing a quinta (wine estate) for a wine tasting in the Douro Valley, here are some tips on the best way to select one that suits your preferences:

1. Determine your wine interests: Do you want to focus on Port wines, red/white table wines, or a mix of both? Some quintas specialize more in certain styles.
2. Consider the experience level: If you’re new to Douro wines, an educational tasting at a quinta with internationally-recognized Port houses may be ideal. More experienced wine lovers may prefer smaller, family-run estates.
3. Check reviews and ratings: Research quintas with consistently high praise for their wines, tastings, tours and overall visitor experience.
4. Look at tasting options: Many offer basic tastings, while others have premium options like library vintage tastings or food pairings for a more elevated experience.
5. Visit their website: Explore different quintas’ websites to get a sense of their philosophy, wines produced, tasting offerings and hospitality facilities.
6. Location preferences: Quintas in the Baixo Corgo areas like Peso da Régua offer easier access, while the remote Douro Superior provides dramatic scenery.
7. Tour availability: During peak seasons, make reservations well in advance for the most popular quintas to ensure availability.
8. Consider packages: Some hotels offer experience packages that bundle transportation and tastings at recommended quintas.

The “right” quinta ultimately comes down to your wine knowledge, tasting goals and preferences for the overall experience when visiting this celebrated wine region.

List of Quinta’s

Here ‘s a list of Quinta’s that do tastings in the valley. We have not been to all of them, but they are on the list!

Many of these offer places to stay for the night.

• Quinta Do Crasto
• Quinta do Seixo–Part of Sandeman
• Quinta do Sabor and Vale Dona Maria
• Quinta do Noval
• Quinta do Vesuvio–Part of Symington Family Estates
• Quinta da Roêda–Part of Croft. We visited here and the views and wine are amazing! Highly recommend
• Quinta do Vallado–has a port cave in Gaia
• Quinta do Portal
• Quinta da Pacheca–also a hotel
• Quinta do Panascal–Part of Fonseca who have a port house in Gaia
• Quinta do Infantado–has a port house in Gaia
• Quinta da Romaneira
• Quinta das Carvalhas
• Quinta do Tedo--went here and loved it! Great Port and Olive oil. They also have a guest house
• Quinta de la Rosa–also have a hotel
• Quinta do Vale Meão
• Quinta do Bomfim–Part of Symington Family Estates
• Quinta do Junco–Part of Taylors Port
• Quinta do Ventozelo–hotel also
• Quinta do Val Moreira–Went to this one; it’s right up the hill from Tedo. Nice white wine and beautiful views.
• Quinta do D’Origem–hotel and museum of olive oil press. We visited here. The most breathtaking views in the Douro! And the wine was good too!

Some tips:

• Book winery tours/tastings well in advance
• Have a designated driver or hire a driver
• Buy passes to skip tasting fees at Port houses and tasting rooms
• Focus on either table wines or ports to avoid overindulgence
• Leave early to beat cruise crowds at popular wineries

This allows you to experience the region’s stunning scenery, tour top wineries, taste a variety of Douro wines and ports, and immerse yourself in the local cuisine and hospitality. Adjust times and wineries as needed based on availability.

Port Wine Cellars

Once you are back in Porto, make sure you take a walk across the river to Vila Nova da Gaia and take a wine tasting tour at one of the port houses. These are the houses that the vineyards in the Douro region bring their wine back to so that it can age in a cool environment. The regions most famous Port wines are housed here, names such as Sandeman and Taylor’s can be tasted on the banks of the Douro. Make sure you try the Tawny Port. It is our favorite.

More information on the port houses can be found here as well as my freebee guide to the Port Cellars.

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