Quinta das Carvalhas- Pinhão, PT

The Douro Valley is usually listed as one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world. When we were looking for wine tours in the Douro, we did lots of research and had a tough time finding one that gave us what we were looking for. My sister and I know what we like and don’t like for a wine tour. We appreciate the effort and energy that it takes to produce wine. When visiting wineries we like to see what is unique about the winery, spend time with the winemaker, and learn about the wines we are tasting.

We chose Wine Moments and Gourmet to do our wine tour of the Douro Valley. They were great to work with for developing our itinerary. Our first day began with a pick-up from Quinta Nova. Be prepared that the roads in the Douro are extremely winding. Be prepared if you get car sick. We were happy that we had a driver and didn’t rent a car while visiting the area. We drove to our first stop of the day- Quinta das Carvalhas. In Portugal, wineries are called Qunita’s and our first visit was a WOW! As you can see from the pictures below, the beauty is breathtaking. Quinta das Carvalhas dates back to 1759 and this may be the oldest winery we have visited. The Quinta is on the left bank of the Douro facing Pinhão. We traveled in a bus to the top of the vineyards and the views were spectacular. The cork trees are dated with when they are harvested and was cool to see.

We loved our stay at Quinta Nova and it was exactly what we were looking for during our stay. However, if you are looking for a town to stay in while visiting the Douro. I would recommend Pinhão. There are Quinta’s in walking distance, accessible by train, and restaurants.

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