All Inclusive Private Douro Valley - Wine Tasting - Pic-Nic Lunch - Sightseeing

The Douro Valley could as easily be called the enchanted valley, such is the beauty and magic that its landscapes offer. The Douro Wine Region Valley, up to Barca de Alva, is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. First, the river carved the deep valleys out of the land and then Man transformed the schist mountains into soil and walls and planted the vines, green in summer, flame-coloured in autumn. With knowledge handed down from generation to generation, he inclined the terraces to expose the vines to the rays of the sun which give the grapes the warmth that the wine craves. It was from the fruits of the land and Man’s labour that this unique wine and landscape were made.

Located in the heart of the Douro demarcated region, its importance is closely linked to the production of wine, for many of the estates that produce the famous Port Wine are to be found in this municipality. The town´s first charter dates back to 1226, although some remains have been found that prove that the site has been inhabited since prehistoric times.

Situated in the Port wine demarcated region, Sabrosa still retains various features from the time of its settlement in the Neolithic period (dolmens and cromlechs) and some hill-top forts from the Iron Age, amongst them Castro da Sancha, which was altered during the period of the region's occupation by the Romans. Still remaining from mediaeval times are some Palaeo-Christian tombs, and in the surrounding region is the village of Provesende, whose foundation dates back to the period before Portugal formation as a kingdom. Sabrosa was the birthplace of Fernão de Magalhães (Magellan), the great fifteenth-century Portuguese navigator and the first man to circumnavigate the world. After the Douro region had been demarcated for wine production in the eighteenth century, the town embarked on a period of great development, and most of its impressive manor houses date from that time.

The viewpoint of S. Salvador do Mundo has as its main mark the valley of the Douro river and it’s riverside, creating a landscape of great beauty, complemented by the huge steep and rugged slopes that contrast with the vineyards, olive groves and orchards. At the bottom of the mountain you can see the Valeira Dam and the historic “Cachão da Valeira”, famous for being the site of the death of Baron of Forrester. From here you can also find some villages and other viewpoints that give color to some of the highest points of the mountains.

Situated on the banks of the River Douro, São João da Pesqueira owes its name to a natural lake that was once full of different species of fish. This turned the spot into a paradise for fishermen and it therefore became known locally as the "pesqueira" (fishing-ground). The lake was created by a series of rocks that formed a dam across the river, causing it to continue its course in the form of a waterfall known as Cachão da Valeira, where a number of boats were wrecked. The uneven and rather treacherous course of the River Douro was eventually tamed by the various dams built here in the twentieth century. In the heart of the Douro demarcated wine region, the landscape in this area is marked by extensive vineyards, resulting in some truly breathtaking views that are best admired from the shrine of São Salvador do Mundo or Monte da Frágua.

This veranda looks out over Pinhão and the open, curving Douro valley. Right next to the village cemetery, the views take in some of the most beautiful landscapes of the entire Douro demarcated wine region.

Pinhão is considered to be the geographical centre of the Douro demarcated wine region, and it is here that many of the Port wine estates are to be found, some of which offer accommodation under the system of rural tourism. Worthy of particular attention here is the railway station, built at the end of the nineteenth century, the inside of which is entirely lined with panels of azulejos.

Peso da Régua played a fundamental role in the production and sale of Port wine, for it was from here that the barrels were transported in the special boats known as barcos rabelos to Vila Nova de Gaia, where the wine was left to age in the local wine lodges. In this region, the vines are grown on terraced slopes leading down to the river, providing visitors with a series of spectacular views.