A Saturday at the Douro valley

You can have a long time passion for someone, and that can be fantastic.
But you can also have a strong passion for a region or a place.
If few places may deserve that you dedicate them such a deep affection, the Douro, in the North of Portugal, is certainly one of them.
This Saturday, during harvest time, has been indeed a very special day.

“Quinta dos Frades”, located in Folgosa, is an old jewel of Douro and it’s finally starting to open up to the world. It is one of the oldest wine farms of the region, founded by the monks of the Order of Cister, great experts in agricultural techniques and wine production, established in Portugal since the 12th century.

Old vines.
At Quinta dos Frades, some vines are 40 to 90 years old.

The main house and it’s gardens, with an excepctional location.

The old swimming pool, built up the hill in the beginning of the 1940’s.

The tea house, with a stunning view.

The charm of the old laboratory.

Great premium wines are ageing in these wooden barrels and containers, patiently waiting for the right time to surprise us (compare the size with the person passing by).

At the cellar

The enologists Anselmo Mendes and João Silva e Sousa check the evolution of the must.

Treading grapes by foot in “lagares” completly full.

The lunch had absolutely to be at DOC (Degustation of Certified Origin), the gourmet restaurant of one of the most prestigious chefs, Rui Paula, a master in innovating while using old cooking techniques and traditional products. A nice place by the river and just over the water.

On the return travel to Porto...

...  time to stop at the Museu do Douro, in the city of Régua.

Joseph James, Baron of Forrester (1809 – 1861), a scot with a great role in the history of Douro and Porto wine.

Figurative ceramics by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, an artist of the second half of XIX century.