Douro Valley Wine Tours Weekend

Arrive to Porto airport, and your elegant chauffeured Mercedes will be waiting for you. Transfer to the wine country today! You will drive about 2 hours to the Douro valley, one of the most stunning wine regions in the world. Arrive to the darling Quinta da Pacheca winery where you have a special treat in store- a private cooking class with the Portuguese mama followed by lunch and the EXCELLENT wines made at this premium wine estate. Taste their sexy dry white along with the Quinta da Pacheca DOC Douro Red, Tawny Port, LBV Port and Vintage Port.

After this fantastic morning, you will enjoy a private Rabelo cruise on the Douro River. These are replica Vintage boats traditionally used to carry the wine down the river from Douro to the lodges in Oporto. Sip white port while taking in the views of the vineyards and colonial style Quintas. Stop into the Loja do Vino (wineshop) at the famous Vintage House if you’d like to pick up some wines and gourmet goodies such as olive oils, local cheeses, preserves and sauces, etc.

In the late afternoon, arrive to your luxurious hotel located right on the river. You’ll absolutely love this hotel, one of the most luxurious and atmospheric in Portugal. The evening is yours to enjoy their world class spa, go for a walk in the vines, have a swim or enjoy another glass of wine in their comfie bar. Dinner here at the gastronomic restaurant is highly recommended, and if you want something more informal there is a “brasserie” onsite as well. Welcome to the Douro Valley!

Overnight:

5* Luxury Hotel, with balcony views, complementary bottle of Port in room

Meals Included:

Cooking Class lunch with wine pairings

Transfers:

Oporto airport- Douro Valley Touring- River Cruise

Today is a full wine tasting immersion in the Douro Valley at two charming Quintas. Begin with a morning vineyard tour and wine tasting at the Quinta do Infantado estate. You´ll be personally received by the owner/winemaker for the tour. This small organic estate in Covas do Douro has about 40 hectares of vines and it is run by the passionate and charismatic Luis Roseira and winemaker João Roseira. Like many estates in the Douro these days, they make ports as well as rich dry wines (cousins to Ribera del Duero wines, further down the river). You´ll have a full tasting of their wines including the Infantado Douro dry red, and their ports such as white port, Ruby port, Reserva Especial port, Vintage port 1999 and their delicious Porto Reserva da Família Tawny . Enjoy some homemade snacks with the wines like Broa de Centeio e Queijo (a local barley bread and cheese).

Lunch will follow in a stylish river facing gourmet hotspot like DOC, where you will run into many of the local winemakers and personalities. Your last winery tour in the Douro valley will be at the magnificent Quinta do Crasto estate, one of the most famous wineries in the world. This dynamic wine estate run by the Roquette family is a single vineyard property, which means they don´t buy in grapes (they only use their own, maintaining the highest quality control). Quinta do Crasto has become the darling of the wine press in recent years for their dry Douro wines. Recently they have begun a new venture with Jean–Michel Cazes of the Bordeaux Château Lynch-Bages, called “Xisto”, which you will get a chance to try if they have any available (this wine has become a hit).

Following a private tour and tasting, you’ll return to your luxury hotel for a free evening to dine at the hotel, take a swim in their river facing pool and relax.

Overnight:

5* Luxury Hotel, with balcony views, complementary bottle of Port in room

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, tasting menu lunch with wines

Transfers:

Douro Valley Touring

After a few wonderful days in the Douro, you will travel back into Oporto today to visit the city, see the historic Port Wine Lodges and enjoy a stellar farewell dinner at the high end Foz Velha restaurant. Begin your day with a scenic drive back to Porto, arriving at the Ramos Pinto wine lodge. One of the loveliest lodges in Gaia, Ramos Pinto also have a wine museum with fantastic old port posters and publicity from the 19th century up to the 1950´s, very interesting. You’ll tour the lodge including the cellars and the museum and follow with a private VIP tasting of four flagship wines including their Tawny Port.

Next up is a special visit to the Rozès wine lodge, one of the most prestigious wine companies in Portugal. Owned by the French Champagne company Vranken Pommery. Established by the Port wine merchant founder Ostende Rozès in Bordeaux in 1855, the family built the lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia (Oporto) in the turn of the 20th century. Enjoy a private tour and tasting. At this stage you will be famished, and we will make a reservation for you to order a la carte (as we have a dinner planned tonight for you and don’t want to get you too stuffed) at Presuntaria Transmontana. This traditional and cozy little eatery is specialized in “Petiscos” (like Spanish Tapas) with small portions of goodies like cured hams, octopus, rustic bean dishes, wonderful cheeses, etc.

You´ll feel like a digestive walk after lunch and your own art guide will meet you at the restaurant, and you’ll have a private guided walking tour of Oporto. Have a look at the stunning Arab room of the Stock Exchange, the whimsical Lello bookshop and the many churches and blue & white tilework in the old town. Transfer to your luxurious hotel to freshen up and you’ll have some time to relax. Dinner tonight is a classy affair, at the elegant Foz Velha eatery run by Marco Gomes, one of the top chefs in Portugal. You’ll have a tasting menu paired with wines from the Alentejo (to try a different Portuguese wine region). This is a superb way to end your wine tasting weekend in the Douro Valley & Oporto!

Overnight:

5* Luxury Hotel

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, tasting menu dinner with wines

Transfers:

Douro Valley – Oporto- Dinner transfer

This morning or afternoon at your preferred time, your driver will take you to the Oporto airport for your outbound flight. And this concludes your fabulous weekend in the Douro valley. We look forward to seeing you again!

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast

Transfers:

Porto- airport

What's Included:

• Accommodation for 3 nights in luxurious 5* Hotel
• Private Airport Transfers and all transfers as per the itinerary by luxury Mercedes E and English speaking chauffeur
• Bottle of Portuguese wine in your room upon arrival
• 3 Full breakfasts
• Two high quality lunches with wines
• One private cooking class
• One extraordinary farewell dinner- tasting menu with paired wines
• 5 Professional and VIP Wine Tasting Presentations with Winemakers/Owners/top staff in Douro and the lodges of Oporto
• Private guided walking tour of Oporto
• 1 keepsake itinerary with maps and ample information on Portuguese, food and wine, and all locations visited
• Gourmet Gift
• All Local taxes

What's Not Included:

• Flights
• Meals and Drinks not Specified
• Personal Expenses such as Telephone, Minibar, etc
• Tips and Gratuities (Guides, Restaurants, etc)
• Travel Insurance (Strongly recommended)
• Cancellation Insurance

Prices:

This is a SAMPLE TOUR ITINERARY. Please note that our chauffeured luxury tours have the following starting prices:

• Final price depends on chosen style of accommodation and dining. Please contact us with your group size (minimum 2 guests, no maximum group size), travel dates and preferences and we will send you custom pricing.
• Discounts available for larger groups
• Please note that our tours are available upon demand for PRIVATE GROUPS and are not scheduled tours for mixed groups.

More Information on Douro Valley Wine Tours Weekend:

If you are interested in this package, contact us today for more information. This tour can also be adapted for bigger groups with a substantial discount. All of our tours are available year round upon request for your private group of minimum 2 people. If you would like us to customize a luxury gourmet tour for you, contact us with your requirements, and we can send you a free itinerary and quote with no obligations. We organize cooking packages and wine tours from 1 day, to weekends to longer food and wine discoveries throughout Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

Email us at: info@cellartours.com