PINTAS VINEYARD
QUINTA DOVVI (^) NEESUYVAROID
Pinhão
Vila Real
Régua
Provesende
Douro^ River
5 miles
Porto
LISBON
PORTUGAL
Douro^ River
SPAINILLUSTRA
TI
ON:
JOH
N^
PLUM
ER
GETTING THERE & AROUND
TAP flies direct from London to Porto.
British Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair and
Wizz Air also fly direct from several
regional British airports. ba.com
easyjet.com ryanair.com wizzair.com
Average flight time: 2h20m.
Pinhão, Régua and Vesuvio can be
reached from Porto by train. To
explore elsewhere, hire a car or book
with a local operator, such as Luxury
Douro Tours or Living Tours, which
can arrange transport from the major
valley hubs. For active experiences,
including guided walks on the Corgo
Line, try Detours. luxurydourotours.com
livingtours.com detours.ptWHEN TO GO
Spring and autumn are best, when daily
temperatures range from about 2 0C to
25C. During the latter, grape harvests
add to the viticultural buzz and some
vineyards hold harvest events.PLACES MENTIONED
Wine & Soul. wineandsoul.com
Quinta do Vesuvio (by appointment
only). quintadovesuvio.com
Magnífico Douro. magnificodouro.pt
Quinta da Roêda. croftport.com
Quinta do Bomfim. symington.com
Casa Lapão. casalapao.pt
Papas Zaide. Lgo da Praça 1, Provesende
Quinta da Aveleda. aveleda.com
Quinta D’Azinheira. T: +35 1 910 923 434WHERE TO STAY
The Vintage House, Pinhao. From £151,
B&B. vintagehousehotel.com
Quinta da Pacheca, Régua. From £112,
room only. quintadapacheca.com
Quinta Nova, Covas do Douro. From
£176, B&B. quintanova.comMORE INFO
Visit Portugal. visitportugal.com
Associação de Turismo do Porte e
Norte. portocvb.comHOW TO DO IT
Kirker has three nights in Pinhão at The
Vintage House Hotel, B&B, from £5 98
per person, including return flights to
Porto and car hire. kirkerholidays.comFuelled by what I suspect is a 1,000-calorie lunch at
homely Quinta D’Azinheira — hearty massa à lavrador, a
typical vineyard worker’s stew simmered on an open fire
by gregarious estate owner Dora — I start on a truncated
seven-mile stretch of the Corgo Line to Régua. Descending
past modest houses, I join the trail near defunct Povoação
station, with its weed-punctuated platform and rusting
gates. It’s one of the last obvious signs of humanity I see
before the village falls away and I am plunged into green.
Apart from the crunch of my boots on stone and the
odd rasp of an eagle circling in the silver skies above, I’m
surrounded by silence. I squiggle along the narrow trail,
passing through thickets of cork trees. Then I turn a corner
and the panorama widens. Olive groves and schist boulders
tumble down to the river below. Above, terraced vineyards
trail up towards the sunshine. Here, the scale of the Douro
landscape is fully laid bare. Feeling so small, so far away
from the region’s marks of modernity, I can fully appreciate
the determination that would have been needed to strong-
arm this dramatic landscape into agricultural submission
so long ago.
I smell it on the soil before I feel it. The ozone scent when
water drops hit dry earth. As I continue along the path,
deeper into the valley, the shower picks up, splashing my
face, hair and backpack, misting the landscape before
me. Washed clean, the greens and browns of the terraces
are highlighted like a newly painted watercolour. I don’t
hurry for shelter but carry on and enjoy its fall. The rain
has finally come, and after waiting so long, the Douro is
quenched. Jorge, I think to myself, will be happy.
Above: The main villa
at Quinta da Aveleda,
where peacocks roam
English-style gardens