ThePortForum.com

This is the thread I will use to post reports of visits to Quintas and Lodges from the Douro and VNG.

My confirmed Itinerary is as follows:

• Saturday 19 April 2008 - Douro Valley
  • Quinta de Pacheca
  • Quinta do Noval
  Sunday 20 April 2008 - Douro Valley
  • Quinta de la Rosa
  • Quinta do Passadouro
  • Quinta do Romaniera
  • Quinta do Panascal
  Monday 21 April 2008 - VNG
  • Graham's Lodge
  • Taylor Lodge
  • Niepoort Lodge

What ever you do, don't do the headset self tour at Panascal....I wanted to shoot myself 1/2 way through it.

ADV wrote:What ever you do, don't do the headset self tour at Panascal....I wanted to shoot myself 1/2 way through it.

Good advice. Thanks.

I slotted this one in myself as it's an open visitors centre and I really just want to see the Quinta. I may or may not do it depending on how long I spend at the other 3 that day.

Derek

Hmm... nice visits.
looking forward to read about you travel and visits.

Panascal is a quick visit, as the visitor center is really small and not much to see. But still fun to check out if you have time. However, if your short on time, this would be the one to skip.

Derek

Maximum respect this looks excellent!!

I would be really interested to hear about Quinta de Romaniera. Are you staying there for the night when in the Douro! Given the cheap flight!

Day 1

It is raining in Oporto.

However, I am at Gatwick waiting TAP flight 333 to Oporto at the delayed time of 2.30pm. The Ryanair flight from Stansted took off just as I was waking up on Tom's sofa at 6.30am. It seems Guinness, N58 and GM68 are not good things to have before an early flight.

Could Jdaw please create a suitable emoticon to sum up this level of stupidity?

Derek

Derek T. wrote:Day 1

It is raining in Oporto.

However, I am at Gatwick waiting TAP flight 333 to Oporto at the delayed time of 2.30pm. The Ryanair flight from Stansted took off just as I was waking up on Tom's sofa at 6.30am. It seems Guinness, N58 and GM68 are not good things to have before an early flight.

Could Jdaw please create a suitable emoticon to sum up this level of stupidity?

Derek

I will check to see if there is a Silly Arse emoticon available somwhere. (_?_)

Derek T. wrote:Day 1
I am at Gatwick waiting TAP flight 333 to Oporto at the delayed time of 2.30pm. The Ryanair flight from Stansted took off just as I was waking up on Tom's sofa at 6.30am. It seems Guinness, N58 and GM68 are not good things to have before an early flight.

Could Jdaw please create a suitable emoticon to sum up this level of stupidity?

Various emotions come running across my mind. In approximate order, these are:


So I wasn't far off my suggestion - that you left Tom's straight after finishing the port and catch a cab to the airport, arriving at Stansted around 2am for a 6am flight!

Hope you get there quickly and safely.

Alex

Derek T. wrote:at Gatwick waiting TAP flight 333 to Oporto at the delayed time of 2.30pm

Now shown by FlyTAP.com to be leaving at 3pm. Derek ought to be boarding about now. Someone get him out of the pub. Someone phone him perhaps?

jdaw1 wrote:

Derek T. wrote:at Gatwick waiting TAP flight 333 to Oporto at the delayed time of 2.30pm

Now shown by FlyTAP.com to be leaving at 3pm. Derek ought to be boarding about now. Someone get him out of the pub.

If he's not in the pub, try looking for a snoring heap on the kitchen floor...

You will all be pleased to know I made it onto the plane without falling asleep again.

This time I'm definitely going to porto, assuming its the right plane!

Derek T. wrote:Could Jdaw please create a suitable emoticon to sum up this level of stupidity?

A suggestion:



it may have been caused by this:

I'm here at last

Sun is shining.

The sun is shining where-ever you go, surely?

And, after that journey, you probably need a drink.

jdaw1 wrote:The sun is shining where-ever you go, surely?

Oooooh, I don't like "where-ever", what's wrong with "wherever"?

But I do like Derek's new title and piccie. Not sure if it's an improvement on Tracey or not, though.

Derek,

You missed your plane to the Holy Land...ARE YOU CRAZY

Darn light weight, he can't even have a little port and then get up in the morning

Today started out very badly but order has been restored.

I finally reached the Douro at 7.30pm. I had planned to have lunch with Karin Alvarez, who I met at Napoles in October, but that had been cancelled due to me being a Silly Arse. Karin very kindly invited me to have dinner at her house with a few friends. Just after I arrived the men returned from a local restaurant with a suckling pig and a crate of beer. Karin whiped up a fabulous risoto and we all say down to a great meal accompanied by Quinta do Vale Meo 05, an S Leonardo 30 year tawny and another tawny produced by a local farmer described as "between 30 and 50 yrs". All were wonderfull.

I am now at Quinta de la Rosa and sincerely hope I can wake up before my tour of the quinta at 9am

The weather in the Douro is awfull. Cold, windy and raining heavily.

Derek T. wrote: an S Leonardo 30 year tawny

OMG, that has to be the best 30 year I've ever had. It is mostly from 1 barrel from 1972!

Day 2

For the second morning in a row I awoke at 06:30. Today was a much better experience than yesterday as I could see the fish jumping for flies in the Douro from my bed

ADV wrote:

Derek T. wrote: an S Leonardo 30 year tawny

OMG, that has to be the best 30 year I've ever had. It is mostly from 1 barrel from 1972!

Indeed, a great port! That should have made your day a whole lot better! I hope you enjoy your programme today as well.

Quinta de la Rosa

I was given a tour of the Quinta by a young lady named Adelena who has worked for the family for 2 years. Adelena explained the history of the Quinta and showed me around the small winery.we then went into the fabulous little cellar which is packed with various sizes of oak casks and Pipes. The smell in these cellars always causes me to inhale deeply and enjoy the mixture of ancient oak and young and ageing wines. Fabulous.

The bulk of the cellar is occupied by large vats lying on their side and standing around 15 feet high. Perched on top of these were individual pipes, each branded with the name of a family member and a vintage year. Although stamped "vintage" these are Colheita that have been produced for various children in their birth year. It was nice to see these as it demonstrated the family nature of the business.

In the tasting room I was offered a Colheita 1997, the first to be produced for sale but not yet released, and the unfiltered LBV 2003.

The Colheita was pleasant but not stunning and I think could do with more years in wood to show it's best. The LBV was very good. A huge fruity beast of a wine with a lovely texture, lots of backbone and a nice lingering finish. Just what a man needs at 9.30am

On to Passadouro

No recap yet of the other activities? Don't tell me you've driven your car into the Douro because you fell asleep behind the wheel.