NORTHERN PORTUGAL - PART II
TheStar.com - Travel - Portugal's Hidden Valley
Portugal's Hidden Valley
Largely unknown by North Americans, the Douro region is a place for long river boat rides, long walks and long visits to estate vineyards
Jun 28, 2007 04:30 AM
Robert Crew
Travel Editor
RUI CUNHA PHOTO COURTESY OF TURISMO DE PORTUGAL
Tamed by a series of dams in the 1970s, the once wild and dangerous River Douro runs sedately between high terraces cut into the steep slopes, used to cultivate top-quality grapes.
LAMEGO, Portugal –"Vineyards are like men," says Catarina Serpa Pimentel, firmly.
"Up to 20 years old, they do nothing; from 20 to 40, the quantity is good but not the quality; from 40 to 60, the quality is good but there is no quantity."
Having put men (and old vines) firmly in their place, Catarina softens the blow with a radiant smile.
This is a woman who knows her grapes, however. She is the fourth generation of the Serpa Pimentel family to be involved in the running of the Quinta da Pacheca, one of the most respected – and friendly – wineries in the Douro Valley, where everyone seems to know everyone and no one is a stranger for very long.
Named after its 18th century owner, it's a picture-perfect estate that was bought in 1903 by Catarina's great-grandfather, Count Jose Freire de Serpa Pimental.
"They say the third generation kills everything, but not us," Catarina proclaims with pride as she conducts three Canadians – Caroline and Louis from Montreal and myself – around the immaculate vineyard. It turns out that men are good for something, however. It takes 14 of them three hours a day to tread a batch of grapes, she says. And the stomping goes on for several days.
"Red wine needs the feet of men, not women," says Catarina. "Their feet are red for six months but they have the most beautiful legs you can imagine!"
She's a charming host and the visit is both entertaining and educational. "I am going to tell everyone to come here," says Caroline as we sip an outstanding red wine after the tour. Douro vineyards not only serve the port wine industry but are also renowned for their high-quality red wines. And just as in the Niagara region, visiting quintas – estate wineries – is a major tourist attraction here in the heart of the Douro Valley, at least for western Europeans.
(Not so much for North Americans, however; one leading U.S. guidebook of Portugal doesn't even include any information about the Douro Valley).
Earlier in the day, I'd joined a short boat trip up the Douro with a party of five from the Netherlands who were in the midst of a wine tour of the area and off to visit yet another quinta.
They were also going on hiking expeditions, a Dutchman named Nico told me as we motored along amid a landscape of dusty browns and greens. "You have to do a lot of walking to get rid of all the wine you have drunk."
Wine has been produced in this region for 2,000 years or more, but in 1756, the Marques de Pombal officially demarcated the Douro region, meaning that port wine could only be produced from grapes from this area – which stretches for about 80 kilometres either side of the town of Pinhao.
It was the first area in the world to be demarcated and Pombal used tall, granite pillars (one of which you can see at the Quinta de Pacheca) to mark its borders.
Soil is scant here and the vines are planted on top of shale, meaning strong, deep root growth. Vineyards are made by hand, with terraces cut by hand into the hillsides, creating endless rows of horizontal steps reaching forever skyward.
Here and there, however, you'll see some areas of experimental, vertical rows. The purists are not amused.
Until the 1970s, when the raging river was tamed by a series of dams, the wine was transported in 20-foot, flat-bottomed boats called barcos rabelos. It took three days to cover the 100 or more kilometres to Porto, a journey marked by swift rapids, tight bends and rough water. There were accidents and drownings galore.
Today tankers are used and the Douro is navigable right up to the border with Spain. Two companies now run extended cruises up and down the river.
There's not much to see in Pinhao – the small town at the heart of the Douro that's about 100 kms east of Porto – although the railway station has a lovely series of blue tiles depicting the customs and traditions of the countryside.
But one of the joys of the area is the chance to experience, old-world Portuguese hospitality in a special setting.
I stayed at the Casa da Azenha, a tranquil Portuguese farm estate of 13 hectares that including a working vineyard. The guest house – four rooms plus an apartment suitable for a family of four – is run by a courtly, blueblood couple, Manuel de Mascarenhas Gaivão and his wife Ana Maria.
`We don't know exactly how long the farm has been in our family but the first records are from 1640," said their son, Luis, a lawyer based in Lisbon. "It was once part of a huge estate but it is the only part that survived."
The mansion – whitewashed, sun-dappled walls and orange tiled roofs – is cozy, with the family coat of arms much in evidence throughout. The atmosphere is relaxed and aristocratic; if you don't speak Portuguese, French is the family's second language.
The gardens are fragrant and there's a swimming pool. You will be shown the family chapel dedicated to St. Anthony and a storage barn, complete with resident owl.
"Our first guests were Canadian and they were very nice, really friendly," says Luis. . "I don't know how they knew about us but we have a very good impression of Canadian people."
The feeling is mutual.
But if you hanker after a formal, luxurious place to lay your head after a hard day's Douro-ing, you'll probably head for the Vintage House Hotel here.
"It's the best luxury hotel in the Douro," said Bernardino Sousa, who works as a driver with A.N.E. Tours, which runs sightseeing tours of the area.
Built on the site of an 18th wine estate, its 43 rooms all have a river view, says general manager Paulo Teixeira de Carvalho. There's a high-end restaurant, a charming library bar filled with old books and even older wooden beams, and a wine shop with a good selection of vintage ports.
The hotel runs wine courses, wine tasting, and classical music concerts as well as the chance to take river boat trips and long hikes.
"Our guests are mainly Portuguese and English, although we do occasionally get small groups of Americans who come here to do the wine tours or to walk,' says Teixeira. "And we get groups of people from Belgium and lots of Dutch people.
"And the food is not bad, " he adds, tongue firmly in cheek.
No, indeed.
Like several others that I spoke to during my visit, Teixeira is critical of the lack of government support for the region
"It is not promoted in the right way," he say. "The area is beautiful and there are lots of possibilities, with the good wine, the gastronomy, the parks and the culture," he says.
The price is right too. Portugal remains one of the cheapest destinations in Western Europe.
rcrew@thestar.ca
DOING THE DOURO
The River Douro runs 563 kilometres through Northern Portugal into Spain but the 27-kilometre stretch between Peso da Regua and Pinhao is considered to be the heart of the region.
VISITING QUINTAS
There are dozens of estate vineyards to chose from. For more on Quinta da Pacheca near Lamego, go to http://www.quintadapacheca.com
BOAT TRIPS
Several companies run extended boat trips up the Douro River from Porto. The biggest is Douro Azul at douroazul.com while another is the city-run Porto Tours at portotours.com
ACCOMMODATION
Vintage House Hotel, Pinhao. Room rates vary according to the season and there are occasional special offers, with a standard room going for 130 euros ($187 Cdn.) For more information, see vintagehousehotel.com
Prices at Casa da Azenha, near Lamego, start at 80 euros ($115 Cdn.) for a single room and 90 euro ($130 Cdn.) for a twin/double, from May to October. Breakfast included. Two-night minimum. Go to http://www.casa-azenha.com
INFORMATION
For more on Portugal and the Douro Valley, see visitportugal.com