Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post your experiences of travel, especially for the Douro region. Make recommendations for places to stay and visit or ask advice from those that have already been there.
Post Reply
User avatar
djewesbury
Graham’s 1970
Posts: 8165
Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Contact:

Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by djewesbury »

Is September a bad or a good time to visit the Douro? Are the quintas generally trying to fend off visitors or is there a lot that can be enjoyed? Any recommendations? I'll be seeing some of you on Tuesday so we could have a chat then maybe.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
User avatar
mosesbotbol
Warre’s Otima 10 year old Tawny
Posts: 598
Joined: 19:54 Wed 18 Jul 2007
Location: Boston, USA

Re: Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by mosesbotbol »

Most of the quintas are actually working farms and are not set up to greet tourists out-of-the-blue like in Napa
F1 | Welsh Corgi | Did Someone Mention Port?
User avatar
djewesbury
Graham’s 1970
Posts: 8165
Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Contact:

Re: Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by djewesbury »

So.. Following on from my not managing to chat about this on Tuesday, does anyone have anything to add to Richard Mayson's notes in the new edition re this topic, bearing in mind mosesbotbol's comments..?
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
gljunglo
Cruz Ruby
Posts: 3
Joined: 09:41 Fri 05 Apr 2013
Location: Sweden

Re: Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by gljunglo »

I have only good things to say about visiting the Douro in September. To be fair I have never visited Douro any other time of the year but we have never experienced any major problems with visits as long as you book them well in advance.
Both 2010 and 2011 we have stayed at Quinta de la Rosa and waking up in the morning smelling the grape must fermenting in the Lagares is in it self sufficent reason to visit the valley during the harvest.
Regarding recs for visits ve have visited Quinta do Vallado and Quinta do Napoles (Niepoort). The Niepoort visit was a fantastic experience (he is a fantastic guy!) but the visits to the smaller and more unknown producers have been equally satisfying. In our experience most smaller Quintas have no problem receiving visitors during the harvest but you have to be aware of the risk that the Quintas has to shorten or cancel your visit due to unforeseen events, for instance due to harvest time.
User avatar
djewesbury
Graham’s 1970
Posts: 8165
Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Contact:

Re: Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by djewesbury »

Thanks gijunglo! Your advice and comments are very useful and I'm putting my itinerary together now.
DJ
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
User avatar
djewesbury
Graham’s 1970
Posts: 8165
Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Contact:

Re: Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by djewesbury »

gljunglo wrote:Both 2010 and 2011 we have stayed at Quinta de la Rosa and waking up in the morning smelling the grape must fermenting in the Lagares is in it self sufficent reason to visit the valley during the harvest.
Booked. We're travelling about a little but if you're at QdlR between the 12th and the 18th of Sept we might see you there! :990033:
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
gljunglo
Cruz Ruby
Posts: 3
Joined: 09:41 Fri 05 Apr 2013
Location: Sweden

Re: Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by gljunglo »

Since we will stay at the Quinta between 13th and 17th of September I beleive that we will meet. If you see a Swedish-registered car it will most probably be ours...
User avatar
djewesbury
Graham’s 1970
Posts: 8165
Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Contact:

The schedule so far...

Post by djewesbury »

So far we have this itinerary.

We arrive in Porto on the 8th Sept and stay one night at the Infanta Sagres, uptown in Aliados. Stayed here before, very comfortable.
On the 9th, we go by train to Regua and pick up a car.
Staying at Quinta do Tedo from the 9th - 12th, and Quinta de la Rosa from the 12th to the 18th.
During this time, will meet Dirk N and others to put the final touches to a Belfast visit we're planning; also hopefully eat at Castas e Prato, AZ Douro (if they still exist; website suddenly offline), LBV 79 (some of these booked already...)
Return to Porto on the 18th in time for lunch at Vinum, then stay at the Yeatman before departing on the 19th...

All I have to do now is get through June, July and August... :| :roll:
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
User avatar
Alex Bridgeman
Graham’s 1948
Posts: 14868
Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
Location: Berkshire, UK

Re: Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

Nice itinerary.

If you can, see if you can fit in a visit to Quevedo near Sao Joao de Pesquera while you're in the Douro.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
User avatar
djewesbury
Graham’s 1970
Posts: 8165
Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Contact:

Re: Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by djewesbury »

AHB wrote:Nice itinerary.

If you can, see if you can fit in a visit to Quevedo near Sao Joao de Pesquera while you're in the Douro.
Good plan - everybody here has said good things.. Maybe I'll send Oscar a message..
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
User avatar
djewesbury
Graham’s 1970
Posts: 8165
Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Contact:

Re: Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by djewesbury »

At Quinta de Napoles today: "Oh, yes, the Port Forum. You must know.. [great names listed]."

Nods of agreement to all, smiles all round. But a moment of confusion: who is this "Julian the Wise"?
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
User avatar
Alex Bridgeman
Graham’s 1948
Posts: 14868
Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
Location: Berkshire, UK

Re: Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

So what is the scuttlebutt on the harvest? Is anyone picking yet? How did the band of rain help? What are the temperatures like? What are people saying about the quality of the grapes?
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
User avatar
djewesbury
Graham’s 1970
Posts: 8165
Joined: 20:01 Mon 31 Dec 2012
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Contact:

Re: Douro in Sept for the harvest

Post by djewesbury »

AHB wrote:So what is the scuttlebutt on the harvest? Is anyone picking yet? How did the band of rain help? What are the temperatures like? What are people saying about the quality of the grapes?
More news on all these fronts in the next day or two. As of today I have only picked the brains of one source, and he a notably idiosyncratic type (he thinks it's all very good....)

But I can say that it's still around 30º in the mid afternoon and the thunderstorms last week seem to have done some good. Detail is being sought.
Daniel J.
Husband of a relentless former Soviet Chess Master.
delete.. delete.. *sigh*.. delete...
Post Reply