We visited two more wineries in Pinhão while we were there: Quinta de la Rosa and Quinta do Seixo. One would think that it would get old touring port wineries but, they were all unique. Pacheca, while a larger operation, was spacious with lovely grounds and a wide selection of wines. Quinta do Pôpa was a small boutique wine house that sat high above the Douro river and gave individual tastings from the terrace overlooking the water below. (They were doing renovations, so tours were not available at the time.) You could also order a picnic basket lunch to have with your wine tasting, which looked great! (We had a cheese plate that was perfect with the wines.)
Quinta do Monte Bravo was the smallest and most endearing with unequaled personal hospitality. As well as being the perfect place to get away from it all at the same time. The food and wines were fabulous, and we felt like we were staying with friends. It was an unparalleled experience which we can’t recommend enough. geral@quintadojontebravo.pt.
Quinta de la Rosa was medium-sized and, like Pôpa, offered panoramic views of the river. It also had rooms and an excellent restaurant as well as an informative tour. They also make beer at Quinta de la Rosa; a lager, an IPA, and a stout, all of which were as delicious as the wines and ports.
Quinta do Seixo was the largest operation we saw and is owned by Sogrape. Which is a huge port wine conglomerate that also owns Sandeman. It is one of the biggest port houses and has holdings in Spain. There they also make sherry. The Sandeman brand image is an international icon of port wine. He is a silhouette of a man with a Spanish hat and Portuguese cape to symbolize both countries and was created in 1928.
Quinta do Seixo is a state-of-the-art port winery that gives a fun and informative tour. The tour guide wore a hat and cape, like the Sandeman icon. And made sure that everyone had a good time while learning about the process of making port wine. There was wine tasting at each winery, and Seixo was the only one that only offered port wines. (That is one of the great aspects of visiting the Douro valley; most of the wineries make great table wines as well as port so, if sweet wines are not your thing, the dry wines are delicious as well.) They did have a bar where you could have port cocktails after the tour. which was awesome. It had a panoramic view of the surrounding vineyards! Porto Tonico, anyone?
Porto e Tonico (dry white port and tonic water) is our new favorite cocktail. We have one or two almost every evening to celebrate the fim do dia. Try it, and you’ll be hooked, at least for the summer!
In all, we made it to five wineries in three days and had an incredible time. The Guia de Enoturismo lists 16 top wineries in the Douro valley, so we will be returning for more sometime soon!
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