Finally, a port tasting!
Today we began the westward journey from the end of the navigable Douro back to Porto and, eventually, home. But everyone’s sights were set on today’s penultimate excursion: visiting a local quinta for a port tasting!
It’s been a rough go as we wind down. Rob has been suffering for several days now with a mysterious respiratory allergy/ailment, the cause of which remains elusive. Primarily, he appears to be allergic to our stateroom with his symptoms flaring up the instant the cabin door closes behind him. For him, a full night’s sleep has been elusive. (And, if you did not know this, Rob LIVES for long, uninterrupted nights of slumber.)
And, unprepared for said malady (Why would one be?), it has proven to be a medicinal challenge as well. As abundant as pharmacias with their animated green cross signs have been in populated areas, familiar American OTC products are unavailable, making a Portuguese local (read: Joana) essential in the quest for relief. One learns to shop based on the active ingredients, not the promotional razzle-dazzle. (Cue Ozempic theme song.)
And, to make matters worse, Peg has been stricken with an equally mysterious malaise that has muted even her otherwise effusive personality.
Fortunately, neither one let their “discomfort” prevent them from enjoying the “liquid-ated” fruits of the Douro at the Quinta da Portela de Baixo this afternoon.
Unfortunately, it took more time than anticipated for us to be able to sample the Douro’s golden nectar. The main bottleneck occurred at the Valeira Lock. Despite there being timed slots, there was a queue for the lock, putting us behind. Fortunately, once through the gates, our captain and crew were able to make up most of that lost time.
The only casualty was our schedule. Rather than orderly disembarkments, everyone got “dumped” on shore en masse, where we regrouped by color as our ship pulled away from the dock and sailed for Regua, where we would meet it.
The Quinta da Portela de Baixo was well worth the wait. The ride to the quinta provided breathtaking views of the valleys of the Douro and its tributaries. There was even a sighting of our ship as it sailed westward.
Set high on a hill outside of Lemago, the sweeping vista from the quinta’s terraces was breath-taking. We were welcomed to the estate by Christine who took us through the port wine making process from grapes to liquid gold…or ruby…or tawny… with a tour that started in the grape-pressing building and ended with an al fresco tasting.
We sampled an assortment of their best ports from a white to a tawny to an aged vintage port, all capped off with a flute of their sparkling wine. Oh, and there were trays of mind-blowing pastry cookies: phyllo dough cups filled with an almond paste and dusted lightly with powdered sugar. These were so delicious, they almost required one to go back for seconds (or thirds!)
Completely sated on so many levels, we returned to the bus. Upon reaching the ship, we bid farewell to our driver, Victor, who was leaving after having expertly maneuvered us from Day One through the challenging roads of Portugal and Spain.
There was a farewell dinner, with the requisite roman candle-festooned Baked Alaska, followed by a crew pantomime that I skipped to start the packing process and continue my blog work.
Tomorrow, Porto…for too short a time!
Portugal: Lisbão to Oporto 