Tuesday morning we left our hotel room in Porto and went back to the airport to rent our car for the rest of our trip around the country. It's a nice little zippy car which is essential for driving in Europe. From the airport we drove to our next stop just outside of Pinhao in the Douro Valley to the Quinta de la Rosa which lies in the middle of Portuguese wine country.
After unpacking and taking in the incredible scenery, we decided to have a Portuguese lunch on the balcony of Tim's Terrace overlooking the valley and vineyards. Our choice for lunch? Sangria of course! We also decided to supplement the sangria intake with a bit of food as we both ordered a light salad to get us through. For dinner we ate some meat, cheese and bread on our room's patio, along with a Portuguese white wine (we much prefer Washington wines still!).
On Wednesday we started the day with a terrific breakfast and took a nice walk through the property's vineyards. That afternoon we took a tour of the wine cellars followed by a wine tasting. We actually found one port wine that we found palatable, but still much prefer not to drink it at all. It was fascinating finding out more about the port making process and the history of the quinta that we were staying at. During the afternoon we drove into Pinhao and found a local butcher recommended by the hotel. We stocked up on meat, cheese and breads to take with us on our road trip. That evening we had a wonderful dinner at the Quinta's primary restaurant that had a stunning view of the Douro Valley below us. The food was delicious and we continued to avoid more port consumption as we stuck with regular wine to compliment our meal.
Thursday morning saw us pack up the car and depart for our next destination, Coimbra, about two hours south of the Douro Valley. More to come about that soon.
Until next time, adeus!!!
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