Autumn trip to Oporto & the Douro valley

[Thomas V]

Inserted top section with information gathered in this thread for those travelling to Porto/Douro. Thanks to all the contributors.

Restaurants & Bars worth visiting in Oporto

The Yeatman Hotel & Restaurant
Opaparico
Cafe' Majestic
Bufete Fase Rua Santa Catarina, 1147 Porto Tel:222052118
Vinologia wine bar
Cabaz do Infante Garrafeira Wine & Grocery store
Graham's Vinum restaurant

Presuntisco, closed(?)
Bull & Bear, closed(?)

Port Lodges & Sights

Burmester
Cálem
Churchill's
Cockburn
Dalva
Ferreira
Kopke
Graham's, Vinum resturant
Niepoort
Offley
Rozès
Ramos Pinto, great museum
Sandeman
Taylor's
Quevedo's, wine by the glass bar
Quinta do Noval

Palacio da Bolsa, historical building from the 19th century
Mercado do Bolhão, market place


Quinta's open to the public in the Douro Valley

Overview map of Quintas in the Douro valley
Booking of tours and tasting at Quintas

Quinta da Boavista (Offley)
Quinta da Ervamoira (Ramos Pinto)
Quinta da Foz
Quinta da Roêda (Croft)
Quinta das Carvalhas

Quinta de La Rosa
Quinta de Nápoles (Niepoort)
Quinta de Santa Eufémia

Quinta do Bomfin (Dow's)
Quinta do Crasto
Quinta do Infantado
Quinta do Panascal (Fonseca)
Quinta do Pacheca
Quinta do Passadouro
Quinta do Pégo
Quinta do Popa
Quinta do Portal
Quinta do Romaneira
Quinta do Seixo (Sandeman)
Quinta do Tedo
Quinta do Vallado

Quinta Nova de N. Sra. do Carmo
Wine & Soul


Hotels in the Douro valley

The LBV Hotel, Pinhão
The Vintage House, Pinhão
Quinta Nova Luxery Winery Hotel, Pinhão
Quinta de la Rosa, Pinhão
Six Senses Douro Valley
Quinta do Tedo, Folgosa
Hotel Rural Quinta do Pego, Tabuaço
Quinta da Padrela Winery House, Tabuaço
Quinta do Vallado, Peso da Régua


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Original post

Hello guys,

So in September I will be travelling from Denmark to Porto for a 100% port wine focused trip. I will be accompanied by my best friends since I was 2 years old. We have been planning a boys trip for quite some time and originally it was to visit the east coast in the US. However at a port tasting I dragged him to he suggested we went to Oporto instead. I didn't hesitate and took him up on his suggestion. DUH!

I have been poking around different bureaus that do group travels to Oporto and Douro and we have reserved 2 slots with Michael Sorensen for his autumn group trip which is from the 5th to the 9th of September. Michael has done group trips and travel consulting for Oporto and teh Douoro for many years and some of you inhere might know him as well.

The trip includes 4 nights in Oporto with tastings as Kopke, Cálem, Burmester and Quevedo. Also a day trip to the Douro valley to visit Quinta da Gaivosa (Alves de Sousa) and either Bulas, Vieira de Sousa or Pancheca. The visits at the quintas includes a tour, a picnic and a tasting with the winemaker.

____________________________________________________________________________

That was a bit about what is already planned. Now I need your help to fill in the blanks.

My friend and I will fly to Oporto on Sunday the 4th of September, so we can settle in the day before the group travel starts. Also we will stay an additional 3 days after the group travel ends. So from the 9th to the 12th of September.

We have at least 4 nights free in Oporto so I would love some suggestions for eating out at night. (Medium priced). These are restaurants I have noticed other travellers in here have mentioned. The first 2 are exceptional but also expensive. Which would you recommend? (Feel free to suggest outside my list)

The Yeatman
Opaparico
Presuntisco
Palacio da Bolsa
Bull & Bear
Cafe' Majestic
Bufete Fase

As mentioned earlier we will visit the lodges of Kopke, Cálem, Burmester and Quevedo with the group tour. But we might have time for 1 or 2 more on our own time. We both enjoy tawnies as well as ruby and with the above line up the focus is mostly on TWAIOA and Colheitas based on the houses style. Of the remaining ones and with those we have already visited in mind, which would you suggest?

Is it worth visiting Vinologia and Cabaz do Infante Garrafeira?

Any cultural sites that are must see in Oporto?

For the additional 3 days we have from the 9th to the 12th of September, even though I realize that this could be in the middle of the harvest, I want to give it a shot to go back to the Douro valley on our own with a rental car. I know I must make inquiries beforehand to set up private appointments as we are mostly interested in visiting non touristy places. I have previously met and talked with Oscar Quevedo and Gustavo Devesa and I was thinking about contacting them as to try and set up a visit. Is this a realistic goal (this time a year). I would love to visit Vale d'Agodinho from Quevedo. From the Symingtons Quinta do Vesuvio is my dream destination. Any other quintas that is known for accepting guests who make arrangements ahead of time? (any contacts you can share?)

Other options in the Douro valley that are open to the public are:

Which of these would you recommend as a backup plan if I cannot get a private appointment?

Quinta do Panascal (Fonseca)
Quinta do Bomfin (Dow's)
Quinta do Seixo (Sandeman)
Quinta do Pacheca
Quinta do Ramaneira
Quinta das Carvalhas
Quinta de Nápoles (Niepoort)
Quinta do Portal
Quinta do Crasto
Quinta do Pégo
Quinta da Boavista

Huhaaa that was a lot. Luckily there is plenty of time left before we leave for Oporto to get input and adjust plans.

I thank your for reading through this wall of text and any suggestions or recommendations you might bring to light.

Cheers

Thomas

[Glenn E.]

I recommend that you visit the Graham's lodge and tour Ramos Pinto (and their museum).

Graham's has several different tasting flights available and can give you a nice assortment of ruby Port to taste. It also presents a different view of the river because it is so much farther west than most other tourist attractions.

Ramos Pinto's original headquarters building has been turned into a museum and is part of their tour, so it makes theirs the best lodge tour in Gaia. You can even get the tour in different languages on a first-come first-served basis, so I recommend stopping by early in the day to arrange a tour in the language of your choice.

Vale d'Agodinho is a pretty long drive from Porto... hopefully someone else has a more accurate estimate, but my guess would be 3-4 hours? It is past Pinhao and Sao Joao da Pesqueira, so that would be quite a day trip out and back.

[Thomas V]

Hey Glenn

Thanks for the feedback. I had been pondering about Graham's lodge I have seen their menu list. Do you have to book in advance if you want a private tasting?
Also is their restaurant Vinum as good a I have heard some say? Do you need to reserve a table?

Regarding the trip to the Douro with a rental car. We have from Friday the 9th to Monday the 12th to be in the valley. So we don't have to drive back and forth the same day. But of course we need to find a place to stay for the night. Is there anything cheap out there in the valley or do you have to book a hotel at a Quinta / Pinhao? Unless of course your host at a quinta offers to let you stay for the night.

[Andy Velebil]

I'll reply again when I'm at a proper computer. But Vinum restaurant at the Graham's lodge is awesome and highly recommended. You could do a lodge visit and tasting first (do an upgraded one) and then dinner after. They had a killer good wine list last I was there.

And love Opaparico....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Thomas V]

Seems like we need to be going to Graham's for a tasting and some dinner.

I would really love some input on the Douro part of the trip as I would really like to visit one or more quintas that are not tourist traps.

[Al B.]

Seems like we need to be going to Graham's for a tasting and some dinner.

I would really love some input on the Douro part of the trip as I would really like to visit one or more quintas that are not tourist traps.

I don't think any of the quintas you have mentioned are tourist traps. Some - such as Seixo - are geared up for a lot of tourists to visit each day but is still a working quinta and if you visit during harvest you will see lagares filled with grapes, being crushed and fermenting. I've not visited Bomfim since the new visitors centre was opened, but I have heard good things about the new facilities and, again, it is still a working winery. Panascal has a good shop where you can buy Fonseca port, last time I was there you could get the 1984 vintage which was unusual. There is a self-guided audio tour around the vineyards which is interesting, if you have not done something like that before.

A couple of quintas that you might want to consider for a visit which are seen less on the normal tourist trail but are still very good at hosting visitors are Tedo and de la Rosa. Tedo, I think, you can visit without an appointment (but best check their website).

[Glenn E.]

I had been pondering about Graham's lodge I have seen their menu list. Do you have to book in advance if you want a private tasting?
Also is their restaurant Vinum as good a I have heard some say? Do you need to reserve a table?

Yes, Vinum is fantastic. You'll most likely need a reservation as it's pretty popular. And yes, if you want a private tasting you should book that in advance as well. They do simple tastings ad hoc, but the private tasting room requires booking ahead.

[Andy Velebil]

Thomas,

Just a word of caution on this...

For the additional 3 days we have from the 9th to the 12th of September, even though I realize that this could be in the middle of the harvest, I want to give it a shot to go back to the Douro valley on our own with a rental car.

You'll be tasting (drinking) a fair bit along your stops in the Douro. Driving may not be such a good idea. You could take the scenic train ride up to the Douro from Porto (which I love to do) then grab a cab where ever you need to go. The cab may cost a bit more in the long run, driving there during harvest is not particularly fun after you've had a couple drinks. Narrow winding streets with large trucks full of grapes. Roads are generally poorly marked once off the main road, really poorly marked in some areas (driving to Boa Vista is very difficult, for example). I've seen local cab drivers get lost trying to get to places. Add in some drinking and trying to drive, not a good combo.


As to this list. It's quite good and all would be fun vists. I've been to all except Pego. I wasn't aware Romaneira was still open to the public after the hotel closed. Carvalhas is worth it just for the views from the top of the hill. Portal is really cool but be prepared it's a bit of a haul from Pinhao. If you do Crasto, one option if timing works out is to get off the train at their station and hike up to the Quinta. Allow about 30 minutes or so to do and it's uphill so....

Boavista is amazing (try to see the walk-on cave at the top), though it is no longer owned by Sogrape. The current owner has just released their first Douro wine from there.

Quinta do Panascal (Fonseca)
Quinta do Bomfin (Dow's)
Quinta do Seixo (Sandeman)
Quinta do Pacheca
Quinta do Ramaneira
Quinta das Carvalhas
Quinta de Nápoles (Niepoort)
Quinta do Portal
Quinta do Crasto
Quinta do Pégo
Quinta da Boavista

[Andy Velebil]

Oh and for a good place to stay, Quinta do Tedo is pretty centrally located and right off the main road. So it makes a good base to start from each day.

[Thomas V]

I had been pondering about Graham's lodge I have seen their menu list. Do you have to book in advance if you want a private tasting?
Also is their restaurant Vinum as good a I have heard some say? Do you need to reserve a table?

Yes, Vinum is fantastic. You'll most likely need a reservation as it's pretty popular. And yes, if you want a private tasting you should book that in advance as well. They do simple tastings ad hoc, but the private tasting room requires booking ahead.

Ill make sure to make both a tasting booking and a dinner reservation.

[Thomas V]

Thomas,

Just a word of caution on this...

For the additional 3 days we have from the 9th to the 12th of September, even though I realize that this could be in the middle of the harvest, I want to give it a shot to go back to the Douro valley on our own with a rental car.

You'll be tasting (drinking) a fair bit along your stops in the Douro. Driving may not be such a good idea. You could take the scenic train ride up to the Douro from Porto (which I love to do) then grab a cab where ever you need to go. The cab may cost a bit more in the long run, driving there during harvest is not particularly fun after you've had a couple drinks. Narrow winding streets with large trucks full of grapes. Roads are generally poorly marked once off the main road, really poorly marked in some areas (driving to Boa Vista is very difficult, for example). I've seen local cab drivers get lost trying to get to places. Add in some drinking and trying to drive, not a good combo.

As to this list. It's quite good and all would be fun vists. I've been to all except Pego. I wasn't aware Romaneira was still open to the public after the hotel closed. Carvalhas is worth it just for the views from the top of the hill. Portal is really cool but be prepared it's a bit of a haul from Pinhao. If you do Crasto, one option if timing works out is to get off the train at their station and hike up to the Quinta. Allow about 30 minutes or so to do and it's uphill so....

Boavista is amazing (try to see the walk-on cave at the top), though it is no longer owned by Sogrape. The current owner has just released their first Douro wine from there.

Quinta do Panascal (Fonseca)
Quinta do Bomfin (Dow's)
Quinta do Seixo (Sandeman)
Quinta do Pacheca
Quinta do Romaneira
Quinta das Carvalhas
Quinta de Nápoles (Niepoort)
Quinta do Portal
Quinta do Crasto
Quinta do Pégo
Quinta da Boavista

Oh and for a good place to stay, Quinta do Tedo is pretty centrally located and right off the main road. So it makes a good base to start from each day.

Valid point about the transportation. But lets say we have our base in Pinhaõ and grab a taxi from the hotel to for instance Quinta do Romaneira. That is fine and all. But how do you order a taxi back? Will the Quinta help with that and will the taxi driver start the meter from when he starts to drive to Romaneira or just at the time we get picked up? I am not sure about what we will do with this aspect. But there is still loads of time to make arrangements if we want to rent a car.

The hotels at
Quinta de Tedo
Quinta de la Rosa
Quinta do Vallado
Quinta de Pego

were all sold out on the days from the 9th - 11th of September, so I have made a reservation (Can cancel it up until the 6th of September without any charge) at the LBV Hotel in Pinhaõ. Any experiences with that place? Seems like an OK base in the center of Cima Corgo with loads of quintas all around it including Bomfin, Seixo, Boa Vista, Pego and Panascal.

Now I will try to write a few emails to Oscar Quevedo and Luiza Borges and hear if they wanna have a visit.

[Andy Velebil]

The Quintas should help you call a cab, or you can ask the driver to come back at a set time. I've not had issues doing either. Yes, they usually start the meter when they are enroute to pick you up. Which is stupid IMO and I wonder if it's even legal. But risking a crash or getting in trouble for driving under the influence will cost you far more than a bit extra in cab fare.

Never stayed at LBV. But try to stay closer to where you will spend most of your time. So if you plan a lot of visits more toward Regua area you may want to try and find something closer to there, and vice versa with Pinhao. Don't be averse to changing hotels if you have to, if it makes logistical sense (like if you visit Crasto, you could stay next door at Quinta Nova and incorporate a visit/hotel stay there).

Whatever you do, despite what you see on a map, nothing is as close as it looks so plan travel time accordingly. We joke that everything in the Douro is at least 30 minutes to 1.5 hours away, even if you can see it 200 meters across the river.

[Thomas V]

Absolutely Andy.

The LBV hotel is only a reservation, but looking at the "public" quintas in the vicinity of Pinhão there is a quite a few. Which includes Bomfin, Seixo, Romaneira, Carvalhas, Boavista and Pégo. So that is a decent selection.

Sucks if that is the case with the taxi drivers and the return trip. I guess one could try to negotiate a fixed price for a return trip initially.

[Eric Menchen]

LBV House hotel is nice--I've posted a review on TripAdvisor. And since Tedo was booked, maybe try Crasto for a place to stay? But I don't think that is an inexpensive option.

[Thomas V]

LBV House hotel is nice--I've posted a review on TripAdvisor. And since Tedo was booked, maybe try Crasto for a place to stay? But I don't think that is an inexpensive option.

What would be the upside for staying at Crasto instead of the LBV hotel? Pinhão seems like a better hub for visiting the public quintas than Crasto? (Also by train?)

[Andy Velebil]

LBV House hotel is nice--I've posted a review on TripAdvisor. And since Tedo was booked, maybe try Crasto for a place to stay? But I don't think that is an inexpensive option.

The only downside to Crasto or Quinta Nova is you're stuck in the middle of no where as it's 45 min drive back to Pinhao. Good luck getting a cab to come get you. Nova will pick you up and drive you to the train station the services both Quinta's (don't know about Crasto), which is very helpful. But if you are visiting the two places in one day it's perfect to stay there.

[Eric Menchen]

What would be the upside for staying at Crasto instead of the LBV hotel? Pinhão seems like a better hub for visiting the public quintas than Crasto? (Also by train?)

While both have infinity pools overlooking the Douro, Crasto's is nicer
But in reality, yeah, Crasto is far out of the way. It is a great property, but if you want to be central, it is not that.

[Thomas V]

What would be the upside for staying at Crasto instead of the LBV hotel? Pinhão seems like a better hub for visiting the public quintas than Crasto? (Also by train?)

While both have infinity pools overlooking the Douro, Crasto's is nicer
But in reality, yeah, Crasto is far out of the way. It is a great property, but if you want to be central, it is not that.

I inquired quinta do Crasto by e-mail last night about accommodation and had a response back this morning.

Thank you very much for your e-mail and preference.

I am so sorry to inform you that we have no accommodations.

I am not sure if he means that there is nothing available or if they don't run a hotel any longer? Mail was sent to their oeno-tourism contact from their main site.

[Andy Velebil]

Been almost over a year since last visit to Crasto. They didn't have a B&B then, so I don't know if they have one now. Quinta Nova is next door, I've stayed there, great place, good wines, and good food.

[Thomas V]

I got a new mail from Crasto.

The currently only have these 2 options:

1. Guided tour and tasting with (1 White, 3 Reds and 1 Porto) for 18.45€/person
2. Guided tour with lunch which includes the same 2 wines. Price depends on dishes chosen.


Regarding Opaparico, I presume you need a reservation.

What kind of food do they server and I reckon the wine card is crackin'?
What is the price range?
Dresscode?
Can you walk there on foot from down town Oporto?