DISCOVER THE GASTRONIMIC TREASURES OF PORTUGAL! M a y 1 8 t h - 2 5 t h , 2 0 1 9 Discover the Douro Valley and the wine areas surrounding Lisbon. We will take a day cruise on the Douro River winery hopping, introduce you to traditional Portuguese cuisine, explore local markets and taste liqueurs first made by monks centuries ago. TRIP ITINERARY D A Y 1 Meet i n L i s b o n , P o r t u g a l 10:00am Vino Venue will provide transportation from the Lisbon airport on this day only. We will depart from Terminal 1 at 10:00am. 12:00pm We will stop in the wine region of Bairrada at Quinta das Bágeiras for lunch and our first tasting. Quinta das Bágeiras is a small, wonderful local winery with exquisite sparkling wines. 3:00pm Back on the bus and on to our accommodations. 6:00pm Check into our boutique hotel, Casa de Santa Cruz. The hotel is exclusively booked for our group and located in the quaint little village of Felgar in the Northern Douro Valley. This delightful, recently renovated, house dates from the seventeenth century. Each room is carefully designed to have all modern comforts including en-suite bathrooms. Get unpacked, rested, take a dip in the pool or a walk around the village… 7:30pm We will have our private chef make a special welcome dinner for us at our villa. Our local tour leader and sommelier will serve wines of the region paired with our meal. We will get a wonderful taste for what is in store for the days ahead! Get a good night’s rest in this country setting so that you are ready for day two in Douro! D A Y 2 Exploring the Northern part of the Douro Valley 8:00am Enjoy breakfast by the pool! 9:00am Depart for our first stop of the day. 11:00am Tour the vineyards and cellars at Monte Xisto, on the left bank of the Douro river in the Foz Côa area. Monte Xisto grows Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Tinta da Barca, Tinta Francisca, Souzão and Roriz Rabigate. Begin to familiarize yourself with some of the grape varietals of this region. 12:30pm At Quinta do Vale Meão, a vineyard dating from 1877 you will have the unique opportunity to meet the owners and enjoy a tour and wine tasting with lunch. Quinta do Vale Meão is privately owned and not open to the public. 4:00pm We will head back to our hotel to freshen up and have some down time. 7:00pm Enjoy a picnic dinner al fresco, on top of the hill overlooking the breathtaking views of the Douro river and surrounding hills. D A Y 3 Torre de Moncorvo - D o u r o R i v e r - M u x a g a t a - F o z C o a 8:30am Start the day right! Breakfast time! 10:00am On our way to meet our boat for a river cruise, we will make a stop in the village of Torre de Moncorvo. Here we will watch the ancient tradition of making candy almonds. We will have time to wander the town, shop, or just people watch! 11:00am On our Douro river cruise, you will marvel in the magnificence of the landscape and the terraced vineyards. We will have some delicious local delicacies on the boat and also some wines for you to get into the spirit of the day! 12:30am Our boat will dock at the private peer of Quinta do Vesúvio, a historic property formerly owned by Dona Antonia Ferreira, one of the most prominent figures in Port wine history. The property is not open to the public, so this is a unique opportunity to have exclusive access and enjoy a tour followed by a Port wine tasting and lunch on the lawn overlooking the river. 3:30pm For a bit of culture, we will visit the Côa Museum where we will learn about the history of region. 5:00pm We will arrive at the village of Muxagata, where 4x4 Jeeps will be waiting for us to take us to a remote vineyard. At Quinta da Erva Moira we will relax, tour the vineyards and the estate, taste some special wines and enjoy an early traditional dinner. After dinner we will hop on the Jeeps again and cross the Côa river. We will stop at Stone Age petroglyphs. Our specialized guide will give us the history and a tour by flashlight! 9:00pm Return to our hotel for a good night's sleep! D a y 4 Off To Lisbon 8:00am Eggs over easy? 9:00am We will check out from our lovely hotel. Load all your luggage on the bus and carry just what you will need for the day. 11:00am Off to Quinta do Bonfim for a tour and wine tasting. We will take a very short walk to Pinhao and see its tile covered train station. We will board the local train to Regua and enjoy the scenic landscape along the way. 1:00pm Our private bus will pick us up at the station and drive us to the family- owned vineyard Quinta da Casa Amarela. The owners will host us for a tour of the estate followed by lunch and a taste of their best wines, made predominantly from the grapes from old vines. 3:00pm We will board our bus and drive to Lisbon. 6:30pm As soon as we arrive in Lisbon, we will check into our boutique hotel right in the city center. 7:30pm Your Lisbon tour leader will meet you at the hotel and take you on a short walking food tour to introduce you to your surroundings and some of the exciting food in Lisbon. Along the way a Fado singer and guitar players will present you with a Fado show on the streets of Mouraria. Mouraria is the neighborhood that was the birthplace of this type of music and where many of Portugal's most prominent Fado singers were born and/or have lived in. Stroll back to the hotel for a good night's sleep! D A Y 5 S e t u b a l - A z e i t a o - L i s b o a 7:00am Breakfast time! 8:00am After breakfast we will travel in comfort on our private bus across the Tejo river to the fishing village of Setubal. Arriving in Setubal we will meet local chef, Artur Cruz, at the beautiful and very vibrant Livramento Market. We will tour the market with the chef, shop for some ingredients and walk to his cooking school nearby for Petiscos cooking class. Petiscos are best described as the Portuguese version of Spanish tapas, with a twist! Chef will discuss the difference between the two. We will lunch on all the dishes that we create! 1:00pm After lunch we drive to the quaint and picturesque village of Azeitao. We will visit Jose Maria da Fonseca, winemaker, whose family represents the century old wine making traditions in this region. We will visit his cellars and enjoy a wine tasting with some delicious sheep cheese, also produced at the farm owned by the family. 3:00pm Drive to Horacio Simoes, a small family owned and award winning Moscatel wine maker. There you will be greeted by the owners, learn about this type of fortified wine, tour the cellars and taste some of their exquisite Moscatel wines. 4:30pm We will make a quick stop at Lima Fortuna, a family owned maker of liqueurs. This family is dedicated to recover traditional century-old recipes created by local monks. We will be welcomed by one of the owners, tour the cellars, and taste some of their exclusive liqueurs, namely Arrabidine. 5:30pm Drive back to our hotel. Wind down time! 8:00pm We will walk to dinner at a local favorite. D A Y 6 L i s b o a 8:00am Torrada com Manteiga (toast with local butter) for breakfast? 9:00am Some fun tuktuks will be waiting to drive us to Belem district at our hotel. Belem is an area packed with gardens and monuments, some of which we will visit. We will tour the area on tuktuk and stop at Jeronimos Monastery for a visit inside this beautiful Manoelin style monument. Next, we will visit Pasteis de Belem, where we will taste the world- famous custard tarts. After we get our sugar fix, we take a quick walk to Enoteca de Belem for a wine tasting paired with some delicious traditional delicacies. 11:00am Our private mini-bus will pick us up and drive us to Comida Independente, a small modern grocery store that chooses to work exclusively with small producers from all over Portugal. We will find an exquisite selection of natural wines and specialty products that you cannot find anywhere else in the city. There we will taste Tuna Muxama (a thinly sliced traditional sundried tuna belly), artisan cheeses and charcuterie products. You might find gifts to take home here! 1:00pm After a short drive we will visit TimeOut market where we will tour the fresh produce area and the restaurant hall. You will learn about the history of this market. You will be given some directions as to dishes and restaurants you might try and then have free range to explore! 3:00pm Back to your hotel to freshen up and for some down time before dinner! 7:00pm Walk to a rooftop bar overlooking Sao Jorge castle, downtown Lisbon and the river, for some oysters and bubbly! 8:00pm A short walk will take you to dinner at Michelin star restaurant Belcanto, by the most internationally acclaimed Portuguese chef, Jose Avillez.