Today we met Walter, our guide for the next two days. From the moment I met him, I knew we would be in good hands. His jokes started from the first "Hello!"
We drove for about 2 hours with a stop in the middle to Quinta do Pôpa, a family vineyard in the Douro valley region. On the way, Walter told us almost everything there is to know about growing wine in Portugal. What was really impressive were all of the laws that govern the growing of grapes. Everything from how many grapes can be made into wine to how much the vines can be watered. There was so much more. It was fascinating to learn that the "...region, famous for its Port wine, is responsible for one fourth of all wine produced in Portugal (IVV, 2013), and its vineyard landscape is also considered World Heritage by the UNESCO since 2001." (https://oeno-one.eu/article/view/1621) Walter did tell us that the largest percent of Port wine is produced here in the Douro Valley region. The pictures will tell about our day.
We drove for about 2 hours with a stop in the middle to Quinta do Pôpa, a family vineyard in the Douro valley region. On the way, Walter told us almost everything there is to know about growing wine in Portugal. What was really impressive were all of the laws that govern the growing of grapes. Everything from how many grapes can be made into wine to how much the vines can be watered. There was so much more. It was fascinating to learn that the "...region, famous for its Port wine, is responsible for one fourth of all wine produced in Portugal (IVV, 2013), and its vineyard landscape is also considered World Heritage by the UNESCO since 2001." (https://oeno-one.eu/article/view/1621) Walter did tell us that the largest percent of Port wine is produced here in the Douro Valley region. The pictures will tell about our day.
We stopped at an overlook of the valley. As I looked at the house below, I thought it would be wonderful to have that view everyday.
Wine tasting was a wonderful experience. We did learn a few more things about wine making including that wine in this region is made by actual stomping of the grapes. The stompers stand in a vat of grapes, hook elbows to make sure they are covering every corner and stomp from one side to the other syncopated. This is done for the first three to four hours of the process. While this is being done, others will stir the mixture. Walter did tell us, he use to do this and would have red feet for three to four days.
Meet Walter, our tour guide.
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Check out our picnic lunch and lunch spot.
Our last activity of the day was a quiet 2 hour boat ride on the Douro River.
On the way back to Porto we passed the Football (Soccer) stadium. Walter told us that that was the number one religion in the country. This stadium hold 45,000 spectator and the one in Lisbon holds over 60,000.
This day was so hot that we all ended up crashing in our rooms for the rest of the evening.