Crusin' the Douro
This river cuts through a gorgeous wine-making area of Portugal
In today’s header I’m squeezing a bit more juice out of “Martini’s Portuguese vacation” and sharing some snapshots of a brief boat cruise I took down the Douro River. As the river snakes along the length of the country, it cuts through deep, verdant valleys, home to many wine-growing producers, their vineyards carved into steep terraces along the banks. It is on these sunny banks and in the hilly geography alongside that the wine used in port is produced, along with some very nice reds, whites and rosés created by the quintas (wine-making farms) in the region. It’s a rather magical area for exploration and a delightful locale for adventures—just make sure you have a designated driver, as the roads are narrow and the drop-offs are frightfully plunging.
Those terraced slopes are simply breathtaking; what a lush and beautiful place!
I hope you got to try a Port and Tonic. We were in Porto last June and visited one of the port distilleries where we were served a variety of ports plus the aforementioned drink. We agreed the tawny port was pretty good but P&T was just the ticket for a hot afternoon overlooking the Duro. We would have enjoyed the river cruise too but time was limited.