10 minutes | Saturday, 28 August 2021
A Unesco World Heritage site since 2001, the Douro is a majestic wilderness, one of the oldest demarcated wine regions in the world, but a surprisingly silent place, apart from three bustling weeks of harvest each autumn. Port is a fortified wine made in the Douro Valley; spirit is added during the wine-making process to stop the fermentation, leaving residual sweetness in the port and adding alcoholic strength.The grapes are a blend of local Portuguese varieties. Most are red and long-aged in wooden casks. We hired a car and visited the beautiful town of Amarante where we had a delicious lunch at the local Relais & Chateaux Hotel – Casa da Calcada for just €16 pp with a view over the river - a little piece of heaven Great deals on rooms here and also across the river in Des Arts with doubles from €65 per room with balconies. https://www.hosteldesarts.com/en/