Quinta Nova De Nossa Senhora Do Carmo Hotel Stay

[Bertie3000]

We recently spent 2 nights at the Quinta Nova hotel in the Douro as part of a 5 day trip to Porto and the Douro. The hotel is around 1 hour 40 minutes from Porto, the last 20 minutes being along the typical narrow and winding roads of the region. It is located high on a hill overlooking the Douro Valley, a location that is quite simply stunning. It has been owned by the Amorim family (of cork fame) since 1999. Prior to that it was owned by RCV and more recently Burmester. Its history however goes back way further and Quinta Nova was listed at the time of the 1756 demarcation.

[Bertie3000]

On arrival we were given a glass of the Quinta Nova 2024 Rose that had just been released. I am not a big rose drinker and this is at the lighter end of rose but I did find this very refreshing after the drive, especially sat on the terrace overlooking the Douro Valley in the sunshine. The rose is a blend of Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Tinta Francisca, the latter a less common Douro grape that I am not that familiar with. The terrace is a wonderful place just to sit and enjoy the view. We had a fairly packed schedule but you could see how easy it would be to pass a few hours relaxing there.

[Bertie3000]

The hotel only has 11 rooms and feels like a country house. The rooms are traditional in style but modern where they need to be (plug sockets, showers etc). We had a room that opened out onto the terrace overlooking the Douro Valley. I would definitely ask from one of these rooms if I stayed again as opposed to those upstairs with just a window. It is just easier to go via this door instead of through the hotel every time you go anywhere. The room included a bottle of rose (consumed on the terrace the next day before dinner), a port sample and a nice bowl of fruit.

[Bertie3000]

I would thoroughly recommend the 4km walking trail around the property that takes you high above the hotel then down to the river and back up again. It will not be a surprise to read that, whilst there is some flat terrain, in general you are usually either going up or down! The views are stunning all the way around and you tend not to notice the hills too much as a result. At various points they have marked where certain grape varieties are growing, of which there are 8 plus some field blends. Close to the river, you also pass the original chapel from the 1700s as well as a helipad!

[Bertie3000]

If you are brave enough, there is swimming pool together with sun loungers. It was quite cold but we braved it for a short, refreshing dip. The views are again stunning.

[Bertie3000]

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The breakfast, served inside the house, was a little limited in terms of variety but this was not an issue as there was plenty to eat. The evening meal, served once inside and once on the terrace, is far more lavish. The food quality is excellent, with a strong focus on presentation and the use of local ingredients. The wine menu focuses mainly on the wines and ports of Quinta Nova. There is also to the opportunity to open your port bottle with tongs in the restaurant.

[Bertie3000]

We joined the museum and winery tour. The winery itself is very modern. Whilst the outside remains the original building from 1764, it has been completely renovated inside in the last 3 years at no small cost and consists of 32 concrete tanks. Like everything at the hotel, no detail is too small and there has been a real focus on the aesthetics of the winery. The result is it looks amazing. The main focus of the winery is table wines but they do produce a limited number of bottles of ports each year. The museum is small but does have a lot of artifacts to look at and has clearly been lovingly put together.

[Bertie3000]

There are a number of tasting areas at the hotel, depending on what you have booked. You can taste on the terrace outside the Patamar wine shop, on the hotel terrace or in the very fine wine bar with its three associated private tasting rooms. We tasted in one of these rooms. The tasting we took consisted of four of their best reds:

Mirabilis 2021; (Tinta Amarela/field blend)
Vinha Centenaria Ref P29/21 (2021; Touriga Nacional 75% and 25% very old field blend)
Vinha Centenaria Ref P28/P21 (2020; 75% Tinta Roriz and 25% very old field blend)
Aeturnus (2022; best parcels of a very old field blend)

Whilst all are relatively young, and will age for 10 years at least I assume, they were all very approachable now. The Aeturnus really stands out amongst them but all four are fantastic wines. I shipped some home so if ever there is a Douro table wine tasting…..

[winesecretary]

Well that sounds like an absolutely splendid trip, cold pool notwithstanding, and also jolly informative. Thank you for writing it up. *makes notes*

[Mike J. W.]

Incredible pics and great travelogue. Thanks for the write up, I really enjoyed it.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Thank you Michael, I’ve never stayed there and really enjoyed learning a little more about somewhere we might visit.