ADVENTURE PORTUGAL

THE PORT WINE

JohnTRAIL Pearson drives the tracks and trails of Portugal’s Douro Valley, following port wine from vineyard to cellar

PHOTOS: JÉRÔME ANDRÉ, PAT SUMMERS, LAND ROVER

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t was a tough life being a crew member of Rover Evoque six-speed manual – both loaned by Climbing a steep track to the St Gabriel chapel, a barco rabelo on the Portuguese Douro Jop, Porto’s Land Rover franchised dealer. we pause to take in the breathtaking scenery. river. These brave men sailed their flat- We take the sinuous N108 road east alongside The Côa river valley snakes away to our left and bottomed boats piled high with barrels the banks of the Douro to the town of Régua. the Douro to the right, with the mountains of of port along the Douro’s hazardous, fast- Here Pat, Mónica and I are catching a train east Spain in the far distance. I’m in the Disco Sport flowing waters – delivering their valuable to Pocinho along a railway line that runs along and José is at the wheel of the Evoque. Both are Icargo to the wine shippers on the Atlantic coast. the edge of the Douro – the line that was built to coping well on the tracks, although it’s fair to say Descending rapids demanded inch-perfect transport the port to Porto. that he is attacking some of the steeper hills with control; a minor error would see the craft capsize We pass through vineyards belonging to gusto in the 2WD vehicle. with the loss of life and cargo. Yet, for over 1000 the major port brands, the grapevines all Eventually, we drop down to the IP2/E802, years, this was the only way to deliver the port. in immaculately coiffured rows, growing heading towards the Museu do Côa, near I’m in the mountains above the Douro on a precariously on steep terraces. Most of the Vila Nova de Foz Côa. Located on a hillside series of ancient tracks during the grape harvest, grapes are hand-picked by hardy workers with overlooking the Côa, this large concrete building following the direction those barco rabelo heavy baskets strapped to their backs; the slopes is devoted to the rich variety of prehistoric rock crews took to Porto. I’ve met up again with too steep for machinery. art that can be found in the area. There are no José Almeida, LRO’s Portugal correspondent, José and Jérôme have taken the vehicles fewer than 84 locations for the art, some of who runs his own adventure tour company, to Pocinho to collect us, from where it’s a which is 30,000 years old. dreamoverland.com. He’s plotted a route that short drive south to our accommodation, the It’s now a UNESCO World Heritage site, but links these tracks, taking in places of interest Casas do Côro, Marialva. These are a group of unbelievably, around 20 years ago, most of related to the industry and the region. attractive red-tiled stone houses in the cobbled it was on the brink of being submerged by a My partner Pat and I fly into Porto airport to street of a medieval village that have been hydroelectric dam project. Fortunately a new meet José, photographer Jérôme André and transformed from ruins into comfortable holiday government in 1995 brought with it some Mónica Nogueira, a guide who’s working for the accommodation by owners Paulo – a former off- commonsense and the dam was cancelled. Porto and Northern Portugal Tourism Board. road champion of Portugal with a Range Rover After a typically substantial Portuguese YOU CAN DO IT TOO It seems appropriate to start this adventure – and Carmen Romão. lunch we set out for a tour of some sites near This would make an ideal 10-day or two-week with a glass of white port and tonic at a bar on Next morning, José takes us out on to a series Penascosa with our guide for the afternoon, adventure, catching a Brittany Ferries ship the banks of the Douro. The skyline across the of tracks high above the river Côa, a tributary of Aldina Regalo. from Portsmouth or Plymouth to Santander or river at Vila Nova de Gaia couldn’t be mistaken the Douro. We pass locals using the traditional Our route takes us through dusty vineyard No wonder so many Bilbao then driving across the top of Spain to for anywhere else in the world: most major almond harvesting method – shaking the tracks and across rolling hillsides, before locals drive Land Rovers the Douro, which takes about six hours. port houses are here, their names on big signs branches with sticks until the nuts fall on to dropping down to ford the surprisingly shallow If you’ve only got a week to spare you could above the red-tiled roofs. Many are familiar, like sheets placed on the ground. Côa to reach the locations. fly into Porto and hire a Discovery from our Cockburn’s, Taylor’s, Dow’s, Croft and Sandeman. Aldina take us to several different sites, which Fording the Côa to man José Almeida. José offers several types have a variety of art featuring horses, oxen, reach the vineyards of tours in Portugal through his website ‘The skyline at goats, antelopes and fish. dreamoverland.com. He does guided trips, Days One and Two Vila Nova de Gaia Then we drive more tracks above the Côa, or you can go it alone and he provides info, Porto to Marialva switching between the Evoque and Discovery routes, schedules, places to stay and eat – couldn’t be Sport. The latter’s automatic transmission helps and he does a fly-drive option with his two Highlight: Prehistoric rock art make it easier to control on some of the tighter Discoverys. Prices vary, depending upon the mistaken for turns through vineyards than the manual adventure and number of participants. Our vehicles for this adventure are a Discovery anywhere else in Evoque. With no low-range, there are times Sport 2.0-litre TD4 with a nine-speed automatic when it’s necessary to slip the Evoque’s clutch to transmission and a two-wheel-drive eD4 Range the world’ bring the speed down low enough to get around

tight uphill hairpins, and it’s not something I’m on a series of steep, dusty and quite precarious is Quinta do Vesúvio, once the home and comfortable doing. vineyard slopes towards the Douro. wine-producing premises of one of the most José, a master of surprises, has arranged a The Disco Sport’s sophisticated Hill Descent influential characters in Douro wine history, picnic on the banks of the Côa, courtesy of the Control (HDC) is doing an outstanding job taking Antónia Adelaide Ferreira. Antónia did a lot for Miles Away company. It’s quite magical sitting us down the loose, slippery surfaces. It has the industry during turbulent times in the 19th out here as the sun goes down. excellent steering lock as well, getting around century; she was an innovator, she fought for It’s not a bad drive back to Marialva either. some acute turns in one go in places where fair prices and helped combat the catastrophic I’m in the Sport again and I’m grateful for its my Defender 110 would have to be shunted phylloxera virus that could have ended wine powerful, piercing lights, which really show their backwards and forwards. production completely. quality on both the mountain tracks and the We stop for a break at the picturesque Santa The British-owned Symington company bought tarmac road that follows. Bárbara viewpoint overlooking the Douro. Santa Quinta do Vesúvio in 1989, adding it to its Bárbara is said to protect people from thunder famous Graham’s, Cockburn’s, Dow’s, Warre’s, and lightning, but protecting us from rain Altano and P+S ranges. Day Three doesn’t appear to be under her remit. A heavy The Symington family has been involved in port Marialva to Távora shower soaks the track surface, immediately production since 1882, when Andrew Symington revealing the two-wheel-drive Evoque’s came to Portugal and was employed by Highlight: Quinta do Vesúvio limitations. It has performed admirably well Graham’s. The business is still very much a family in terms of grip so far on the adventure, but it concern, with five Symington family members Next morning we’re out on to more scenic tracks definitely isn’t going up this steep, slippery hill – employed in senior roles. Chief executive Paul near Vila Nova de Foz Côa, driving north through José has to reverse out. Symington owns a Range Rover Hybrid. scenic almond orchards and olive groves. Then After taking an alternative route, we arrive Bernardo Nápoles is the winemaker responsible we cross an area of wild broom and scrub before at a narrow tunnel under a railway – which is for Quinta do Vesúvio, and he drives a Defender turning east through vineyards rich with big, only marginally wider than our vehicles. We 110 Td5 on his estate duties. Bernardo tells us Disco Sport and Evoque – ripe bunches of grapes ready for picking. It’s a emerge into daylight by a classically Portuguese that 30 days of grape harvesting are about to get one will cope slightly better tight squeeze between the rows as we descend building on the banks of the Douro. This under way at the Quinta.

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mountains. One of the Range Rover Classics with grapes being harvested on terraces that KEY featured in the line-up was José’s 1995 300Tdi. reach out in all directions. The Evoque is doing RiverS Vila Real Visitors today can join a Harvest Team at a manful job of coping, but again I’m having to ‘The sun’s shining, ROUTE Quinta do Valença Pinhão Bomfim Quinta da Pacheca, taking part in grape picking, slip the clutch on some of the steepest uphill the sky is blue, do Douro Pocinho followed by a session of grape treading. We’re turns, and coming down I have to improvise for Régua Folgosa Quinta do joining in the treading – and I have to admit the lack of HDC. First gear is too fast to give me and the river is Vesúvio Porto I found marching backwards and forwards adequate control on one steep descent, so I dip barefoot in a stone bath full of mushy grapes the clutch and ease down slowly on the brakes. wending its way Quinta da Quinta do Pacheca Monte Castanheiro while a band played traditional music a bit weird. We enjoy a mighty fine lunch at the Michelin- through the Vila Nova Travesso do Sul Numao starred DOC restaurant by the Douro at Folgosa, de Gaia Ponte de run by Portuguese celebrity chef Rui Paula. Then valley below’ Tabuaço Fumo Vila Nova de Foz Côa Day Six we drive to the Museu do Douro in Régua. This Tavora River Távora is another excellent place to visit, being packed River Douro Museu Castelo Régua to Porto do Côa Melhor with information and history of the region and PORTUGAL Longroiva Highlight: Ponte do Fumo its port wine production. After this, our journey around the Douro region Côa Meda We’re heading out towards the Távora valley is at an end. Now we’re heading west to Porto. Marialva River again, driving cobbled streets and dusty We’re taking the faster route back, north up the mountain tracks from Valença Do Douro to A24 the A24 to Vila Real and then on the A4 to Castanheiro do Sul. Across to our right, low cloud Porto. The Evoque is in its element cruising at PORTUGAL is hanging surreally between two mountains. speed through the sweeping motorway curves. NEED TO KNOW There’s an area of cork oaks that have been harvested recently, their trunks looking blood- ● Language: Portuguese red in the sunlight where bark has been stripped Day Seven ● Currency: Euro to become stoppers for port bottles. Porto ● Cost of fuel: Diesel, 80p-92p Dropping into the valley, we reach the Ponte ● Time difference to UK? None do Fumo (bridge of the smoke) between Távora Highlight: Hogwarts ● Drive on the right and Tabuaço. Built from granite around 1040AD, Grand Staircase ● Where we stayed: this is believed to be a reconstruction of a Roman Hotel Teatro, Porto (hotelteatro.pt) bridge. It’s a beautiful spot, with a rock face on Mónica takes us for a highly informative walking Plush, theatre-themed hotel; one side, vine and olive terraces on the other and tour of historic Porto. It’s a wonderful city to Casas Do Côro, Marialva (casasdocoro.pt). the river trickling gently below. visit, with a wealth of ancient landmarks and Quinta das Herédias, Távora Heading back towards the Douro, we drive buildings, including the fabulously ornate 18th (quintadasheredias.com/pt); some seriously steep tracks through vineyards, century British Factory House. Built by the British Hotel Vila Galé Douro, Régua (vilagale.com) ● Which maps? Paper maps from the Military Geographical Institute of Portugal (igeoe.pt), are available in 1:25,000 ● This adventure was supported by the Hummers will have Porto and Northern Portugal Tourism Board to find another way (visitportoandnorth.travel)

‘We have 40 people picking the grapes from gave it to Bernardo when he was 18. That’s a estate to hire sufficient numbers of workers to seven in the morning until seven at night. Then birthday present that takes some beating. tread the grapes. The visit normally includes a walk through the from eight until 11 they tread the grapes.’ This is done in giant stone lagares – traditional shallow vineyard to look back across to the Douro. But troughs – with 20 tonnes of grapes going Days Four and Five we’re allowed to drive up to a high point of the through each one every day. Távora to Régua estate, following a Defender 110 driven by our The grapes are foot-trodden rather than guide Jackie Thurn-Valsassina. It’s beautiful up mechanically pressed to avoid the pips being Highlight: Quinta do Bomfim here; the sun’s shining, the sky is blue, and the crushed – which will release tannins and affect river is wending its way through the valley below the flavour. It’s a finely honed operation, with After overnighting near Távora, overlooking us in the heart of the Douro wine region. All the treaders putting their arms around each the Távora river – another Douro tributary – we around are mountains covered with grapes that other and marching in line-dancing-like rows, head for Pinhão. We stopped here briefly on that will, before long, be turned into port. often to music. original rail journey, where I saw some beautiful All of the port experts are buzzing with From Quinta do Vesúvio we take the N222 west decorated tiled murals along the platform. These excitement about the likelihood of 2015 being a and then N323 south to the Quinta do Monte depict historic port wine-making scenes from the vintage year. Apparently all the signs are good, Travesso. This 150-year-old African colonial-style region, including some with the barco rabelos but it will be spring 2017 before the experts private family house and estate, which has just going about their business. at the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto a few hectares of vineyards growing red and And we’re about to board one of those boats, – an official body belonging to the Ministry of white grape varieties, was also once owned by which now carry tourists on trips along the Agriculture of Portugal – say sim (yes) or não Antónia Adelaide Ferreira. She gave it to her Douro. The river has long since been tamed by (no). The last vintage year was 2011. estate manager, who sold it some years later to the building of locks and dams, so there are no Our afternoon drive loops out south from Bernado Napoles’ great grandfather, who was a rapids for us to worry about. the Douro to tracks near the ruins of Castelo doctor in the Portuguese Navy. Back in Pinhão, we next visit Quinta do Bomfim. de Numão. The terrain here is sandy, with large It’s still with Bernardo’s family; his father José is This is another of Symington’s delightful Upper granite boulders all around. As we continue, the the winemaker. We’re delighted to see that José Douro vineyards, on the north bank of the river, route becomes more testing and quite rough. has maintained the house in the traditional style which has been opened up as a visitor attraction. Then in the evening we head for Quinta da – including an old kitchen with a huge fireplace There is a lovely mix of information and history Pacheca, on the Douro’s south bank opposite that people literally used to sit in as they relaxed – including period photos and TV footage. Here the town of Régua. This famous wine-producing around the fire. they operate the latest mechanised grape- estate and hotel was the HQ for Land Rover’s One of José Napoles’ relatives, Bernardo crushing machines, which use silicon ‘feet’ in 2011 model-year Range Rover TDV8 press Braga, owns a fine old 1952 Series I, which he’s water-cooled, stainless steel lagares. Although launch. Neil Watterson attended for LRO, driving brought along to show us. His dad bought it in places like Quinta do Vesúvio still use traditional the new model, along with 19 older Range 1986, started a 10-year restoration in 1995 and foot-treading, it’s simply not possible for every Rovers on routes through nearby vineyards and

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A sunset picnic on the John and Pat at banks of the Côa. Magic Hogwarts. Sort of port shippers, it’s still used by them today for pine-beamed roof that help retain optimum weekly meetings and lunches – where port is temperatures for port-ageing are unchanged PORT WINE consumed from its well-stocked cellars. from when it was built in 1890. NEED TO KNOW The place that also fascinated me was the The 2015 port from the five Graham’s vineyards Livraria Lello, a bookshop that was opened by in the Upper Douro will only just be arriving Port is a fortified wine from the demarcated two brothers in 1906 and became a meeting when you read this – seven or eight months since Douro region in the north-east of Portugal – place for literary folk and artists. These days it’s harvest. Eventually it ends up in big wooden vats where wine has been produced for more than one of Porto’s biggest visitor attractions thanks or small barrels, depending on the style of port 2000 years. It’s made from various indigenous to the success of Harry Potter. JK Rowling moved it is to become. Graham’s has seven coopers who grapes (there are around 30 varieties) grown to Porto in 1991, working as an English teacher spend their time making new vats and barrels or in vineyards on hillsides alongside the Douro while developing her first Potter manuscript. She keeping existing ones in good condition. river and tributaries. spent a lot of time at Livraria Lello, and anyone Vintage ports spend only 18 months in vats After harvesting, the grapes are crushed who’s visited the bookshop will understand before bottling, after which they’re stored in to release the juice. Fermentation begins, where the inspiration for the Grand Staircase in the company’s cellars. After visiting these cellars but port wine is then fortified by adding Hogwarts came from. It’s a delightful work of it’s time to do some tasting. We’re given four colourless grape spirit (brandy) to the wine art in wood, spiralling up from the centre of the red ports to sample: a reserve called Six Grapes, before it has finished fermenting – a process building and reaching out in several directions to 10 year-old and 20 year-old tawny and a 2001 the Portuguese call benefício. This interrupts the upper, bookshelf-crammed balconies. vintage, Quinta dos Melvedos. We all take our the fermentation process, so it retains some Of course, we’re in Porto mainly to see the tasting very seriously and take several sips from of the grape’s natural sweetness. final stage of the port-making process. So we each glass (but we’re obviously not proper wine cross the impressive metal-arch double-decker tasters because we don’t spit it out again). All Dom Luis bridge that takes light trains, traffic are good: the reserve is the most fruity, and the and pedestrians from Porto to Vila Nova de wood-aged tawnys are mellow, with various Gaia, and walk through the narrow cobbled layers of flavours. streets to Graham’s Lodge. This has recently However, there’s a reason that vintage port is been renovated by owners Symington’s, but the most celebrated. ‘This is like velvet in a glass,’ the half-metre-thick granite walls and lofty Riga says José, and I can’t disagree with that. LRO

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