Douro Valley
After a quick stop at the markets for supplies, we caught an Uber out to Porto Airport, where Jake had organised a nice car for the remainder of our time in Portugal. As we neared the rental place, the weather took a turn and it absolutely bucketed down. At the counter, it was Jake’s turn to run into issues with his name—the car was booked under ‘Jake,’ but his passport reads ‘Jacob.’ After a bit of frustration, he managed to rebook a new car and we set off in an Audi A5.
Next stop: Peso da Régua.
It was a very wet drive, raining most of the way. We stopped in a town called Paredes, where we visited a museum of local history and enjoyed a nice coffee and a beer (Kwak) at a little café nearby.
We then continued through the rain to Peso da Régua and checked into our accommodation—an amazing spot with river views. We went for a stroll around the area, explored a few local taverns, and finished the evening with a satisfying dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Day 2 – Wine Tour
After a small bite and a coffee, we set off for a Douro Valley wine tour I had booked. It started off a bit confusing, as the tour guide didn’t show up at the designated meeting point on time. After some back and forth messaging—and Jake and me relocating to a better pickup point—we finally boarded the tour bus and sped off to the first winery.
Our guide, Flávio, was very knowledgeable and kept things lively with some interesting banter. Our first stop was Caves Santa Marta, a winery and vineyard that also helps store wine for other producers in the region. The old storage vessels there could hold up to 1,000 litres each, and the facility had capacity for millions of litres. I took a video of one of the storage areas—lined with tiles inside—and learned that someone has to squeeze through a tiny entrance to scrub them clean by hand!
We learned more about port wine and enjoyed a lovely lunch before boarding the bus again for our next stop: Quinta de São Luiz, where the famous Kopke port is made. Apparently, it’s the oldest traditional port house in the valley. We had a short vineyard tour followed by more tastings—mostly enjoyed by me, as Jake isn’t the biggest fan of port.
The day wrapped up with a short boat trip up the Douro River, gliding past countless vineyards in one of the most stunningly beautiful regions I’ve ever seen. On the way back to Peso da Régua, we crossed a bridge designed by none other than Gustave Eiffel—yes, *that* Eiffel. We ended the day with a beer and a fun chat with some locals, which turned out to be surprisingly entertaining despite the language barrier.
For dinner, we opted for the local Indian restaurant for a change of pace. It was quite good, though probably the mildest Indian meal I’ve ever had—maybe the Portuguese aren’t big fans of spiced up food?
We wrapped up early, ready for our next stop: Lisbon!
