Vineyards are not the most popular type of WHS among the community of this website. One reason is certainly that they belong to an over-represented category. Our vineyards connection comprises a total of 32 WHS, almost half of which are devoted exclusively or predominantly to viniculture. On the other hand, viniculture is one of the oldest and most traditional agricultural technique. And vineyards are often picturesque landscapes, especially if they are along a winding river. And these qualities are given in the Douro Valley.
Alto Douro is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world with a protected designation of origin. The core zone of the WHS covers an area of about 24,000 hectares, a stretch of 80 kilometres along the Douro river from Peso da Régua to the Spanish border with branches to include also the mouths of the tributaries Corgo and Rio Pinhão.

Coming from Guimarães on the N101/N108 I first saw the Douro River in the small village of Rede. This is also the western end of the core zone. A few kilometres further on is Peso da Régua, one of the main towns on the Douro. It is not a particularly pretty town and is not within the core zone, but the Museo Douro is worth a visit. The exhibition is well done and you will learn everything you need to know about this WHS: the history of the area, the nature and geology and the peculiarities of viniculture here, the rock art of the Coa Valley is also explained. Finally, you can taste a port wine on the terrace overlooking the Douro, the tasting is included in the entrance fee.
The section between Peso de Régua and Pinhão (26 km) is popular with tourists. The road runs directly along the river and there are many spots where you can stop to enjoy the nice landscape and to take photos. The steep vineyards seem well maintained, the horizontal lines of the dry stone walls dominate the scenery, interrupted only by olive groves or cypress trees. In contrast to similar cultural landscapes such as the Middle Rhine Valley or the Wachau, there are hardly any larger villages along the Douro, no castles or large churches, just here and there the mansions of the wine producers (in Portuguese: Quinta)

I arrived in Pinhão just in time for my boat trip, which I had booked online a few days earlier. In Pinhão, several companies offer boat tours. I booked a two-hour Rabelo tour with Magnífico Douro upriver to the mouth of the Tua. There is no main road along the river in this section, just the streets connecting the Quintas. It was very relaxing to enjoy the river and the vineyards from the boat, an audioguide gave some explanations and on the way back I had my second Port tasting that day - but not my last one.
Back in Pinhão I went to the Quinta do Bomfim, owned by the Symington family, one of the leading producers of premium (vintage) port wine, for my third and most comprehensive tasting. I can recommend the Quinta do Bomfim, not only because of the beautiful location. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste and the variety of port wine. It is also possible to visit the cellars, but the tour was fully booked that day (my visit was in May 2018). But I didn’t mind, I already had visited a port wine cellar at Vila Nova de Gaia, where I learned about the distinctive features of port wine and its production.

Port is a fortified wine, which means that high-percentage alcohol is added to kill off the yeast after one or two days of fermantation. As a result, a part of the sugar is kept, the wine is sweeter and has a higher alcohol content. Due to the extreme climate, cold in winter and very hot in summer with temperatures up to 45°C, the wine is stored only one winter in the cellars of the Quintas. In the spring, the barrels are transported to Oporto; formely on the Douro, today by truck.

I stayed overnight in Pinhão. The next morning, I continued my journey towards the Coã Valley. From Pinhão, the N222 runs uphill and leaves the core zone of the WHS. At the first one or two kilometres are some spots with a beautiful view of Pinhão and the surrounding vineyards (photo). A few kilometers further on, at São João de Pesquiera, I made a detour via the N222-3 to the Vale de Figueira, where the road again touches the core zone. The road is very winding, it took me almost an hour for 25 kilometres, but also because I often stopped to admire the landscape. Here the valley is narrower and the slopes are steeper. The eastern part of the Alto Douro is calm and secluded, at least it seemed so early in the morning.

All in all, I really enjoyed my visit to the Alto Douro, it's one of the best wine regions on the WH list I have visited so far. And although I still prefer non-fortified and dry wines, I think that from time to time I will go for a Port, now that I know how a good Port has to taste.