Wine Tasting Tours in Porto & Douro

Porto is quite an accessible city with regular flights from all over Europe, including low-cost carriers and a major infrastructural hub of north Portugal, which is why it can be easily reached by a variety of means of transport.
Foreign visitors might find it handy to get to Porto by plane. If you plan to visit by air wineries in Porto and Douro the closest airport is Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (IATA: OPO) is located 13 km to the north of Porto, in the Maia district. It’s the second largest airport in Portugal by traffic.

If you want to visit wineries in Porto and Douro by car, better choose Porto as your home base, except if you decide to book accommodation in a wine estate!
Porto is literally surrounded by motorways, the city has excellent road connections with the entire Continental Portugal, A1 highway links Porto to Lisbon, A4 provides the connection to Trás-os-Montes whereas A3 reaches all the way to Minho. Either by bus or by car (private vehicle or rented car), Porto and Douro valley can be reached from virtually all corners of the country.
Driving is by very far the best option to visit wineries in Porto and Douro, but it is not recommended for the faint-hearted. The roads are very narrow and curvy, and most of them don’t have lateral protections so you get the impression that the slightest mistake will throw you off the cliff in the direction of the Douro river. However, the views are simply stunning, and having a car gives you plenty of flexibility to explore the less crowded vineyards, the unknown viewpoints over the Douro river, and other hidden treasures of the region.

If you want to visit wineries in Porto and Douro by train, better choose Porto as your home base, except if you decide to book accommodation in a wine estate! In north Portugal, Porto is the most important railway hub of CP (Comboios de Portugal, www.cp.pt), the Portuguese railway company that offers a vast rail network.
You can use two main train stations:

• Estação de Sao Bento (Sao Bento Train Station) is located in central Porto, in Praca Almeida Garrett, being the terminal of regional trains which travel between Porto and sundry north destinations (such as Braga, Viana do Castelo and Duoro), and;


• Estação de Campanha (Campanha Train Station) is the terminal of trains leaving for and arriving from the south (Lisbon included).

The regional train is the most popular option among backpackers, students, and other budgets like travelers. In fact, getting from Porto to the Douro by train is by far the cheapest option. Trains depart from the Porto Campanha Station with stops in Peso da Régua and Pocinho, the end of the train line. Travel time is a 1h 45min offering splendid views of the Douro Valley and River from your train carriage that you won’t see by car or bus.

There’s no bad time to visit wineries in Porto & Douro as there is always something on offer that should suit your interests. Celebrations and seasons are accompanied by log fires and sunny dispositions. And there is always the pleasure of discovering an amazing wine, especially sitting back and relax with a stunning Port.
If you like to enjoy the sun and even get a little tan on the beaches, ride a bicycle downtown, travel on foot, and discover the trails, from April to September the weather and temperatures are very good for this kind of activity.

Porto is considered the capital of the north and the second-largest city in Portugal.
Porto’s most striking characteristic is that of ‘faded grandeur. In Europe, there are very few remaining cities that can do ‘faded grandeur’ quite on the scale of Porto: you have to travel to Cuba or Argentina for competition. The feeling is emphasized by the mix of Baroque, Neoclassical, and splash of Belle Epoque architecture. Ribeira is Porto's biggest heart-stealer.

Wineries in Porto & Douro produce four major types of Port wine:

• Ruby (Red) Port: a deeply-colored red Port which includes Vintage, Late-bottled Vintage (LBV), Crusted, and Ruby Port
• Tawny Port: a very sweet barrel-aged port with oxidative nut and caramel flavors
• White Port: made with indigenous white grapes including Rabigato, Viosinho, Gouveio, and Malvasia
• Rosé Port: This is a new style of Port wine made like rosé wine with flavors of strawberry, violets, and caramel.

Although today the Rabelo boats can no longer be seen transporting the wine downriver, the wineries in Porto & Douro still travel you down the river all the way to Porto with their unique experiences they offer during the tours and the wine tastings!
Dazzled by the scenery, amazed by the will these people show to cultivate this harsh land, fascinated by the taste of the wines wineries in Porto & Douro offer.
Pairing the wine with the local delicacies is another asset, improving the quality of the visit high enough as the airplane view from the banks of Douro!

Some words to remember before you visit Porto & Douro for wine tasting and tours:
Cheers! = Saúde, Chin Chin!
Wine = Vinho
Winery = Adega, Cave
Wine tasting = Degustação de vinho
Wine route = Rota do vinho