A Visit to Quinta do Noval
Posted: 18:22 Tue 04 Jul 2023
In June 2023, just before São João, I had the privilege of staying a couple of nights at one of the most beautiful spots in the whole of the Douro Valley – at Quinta do Noval. With its distinctive white-washed terrace walls broken only by the steep steps leading from one terrace to another, Quinta do Noval commands a breath-taking view both over the Douro River as it bends around Pinhão, and to the west and north across and along the Pinhão River valley. Our stay was right in the middle of the train strike affecting the services on the Douro Valley rail line so we travelled by car, using the tunnel through the Marão mountains and the road through Alijó.
This meant driving through Vale de Mendiz and past the Hotel Silval where the Wine Show crew stayed in 2019 when filming series 3 which used Noval as its headquarters. Arriving at the gates of Quinta do Noval never gets old. The gates across the cobbled driveway bring a special thrill, knowing that there is a little less than 1km to go before reaching the house. The view across the valley towards Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha and Taylor’s Quinta da Terra Feita was spectacular, with the shadows of the clouds racing across the mountain on the other side.
This meant driving through Vale de Mendiz and past the Hotel Silval where the Wine Show crew stayed in 2019 when filming series 3 which used Noval as its headquarters. Arriving at the gates of Quinta do Noval never gets old. The gates across the cobbled driveway bring a special thrill, knowing that there is a little less than 1km to go before reaching the house. The view across the valley towards Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha and Taylor’s Quinta da Terra Feita was spectacular, with the shadows of the clouds racing across the mountain on the other side.