Day 6 – Friday

After a good night’s sleep, we boarded the train to head east towards Spain. The three-hour-long train ride brought us to Pocinho in the Douro Superior (the easternmost section of the Douro Valley). This region is the driest and hottest of the three Douro Valley sub-regions, and, in contrast to the wild rock and river landscapes of the other two Douro regions, this one is marked by gentler, rolling hills and vineyards that are generally far less steep.

Quinta da Leda

After a short mini-bus ride, we arrived at our first stop for the day – Quinta da Leda. This property is owned by Sogrape and is probably best known today for producing grapes for the original Portuguese “cult” wine – the legendary Barca Velha Douro red wine. It was first produced in 1952, fifty-six years after Dona Antonia Adelaide Ferreira’s death. The grapes originally came from on of her other prized vineyards, Quinta do Vale Meão.

We were met by Antonio Braga, Winemaker at Quinta da Leda, and we began our tour of the production facilities. The winery, which was built in 2001, was designed as a gravity-fed facility, with grapes starting at the upper level and working their way down to lower levels during the production process. This avoids needing a mechanical means to move grapes from one part of the Quinta to another, and Sogrape believes this approach helps improve the wine quality.

Our post-tour tasting would be conducted outside, where we could enjoy the sunshine and the amazing views of the valley. We were joined again by George Sandeman and began our tasting, most of which were delicious, complex and age-worthy red table wines.

2015 Casa Ferreirinha Douro Papa Figos Douro White – Icewater in color. Subtle lemon and tropical notes on the nose. Fresh palate with a tone of pineapple and medium-bright acidity. Nice balance – a refreshing wine. 89 points. 9/23/2016

2015 Casa Ferreirinha Douro Papa Figos Douro Red – Primary red fruit on the nose (red cassis). Ripe red fruit of cranberry on the approach. Nice tannins on the mid-palate with the well-structured finish. 90 points. 9/23/2016

2014 Casa Ferreirinha Douro Callabriga Douro Red – Classical red fruits on the nose with herbal notes underneath. Smoky notes with bing cherry and dusty tannins. Nice long finish with good balance. This would be a great BBQ wine! 92 points. 9/23/2016

2014 Casa Ferreirinha Douro Quinta da Leda Douro Red – Dark purple in the center with vibrant purple on the edges. Herbal and floral notes on the nose. Great balance with some firm tannins. Nice rounded form and pomegranate on the mid-palate. 93 points. 9/23/2016

1999 Ferreira Vintage Quinta da Leda Port – Dark purple inc color. Cassis and a touch of spirit underneath. The bottle shows some corked characteristics. N/R 9/23/2016

2015 Casa Ferreirinha Planalto Reserva Douro White, N/R

Ferreira Dona Antonia Reserva Douro White, N/R

After our tasting, we said goodbye to Antonio and George and headed off for our next adventure, which was something I’ve never, ever seen before.

A thirty-minute bus ride took us to Castelo Melhor, a civil parish that is home to the ruins of a medieval castle. While the picturesque ruins dominate the landscape, we were here to visit something else. In the shadow of the castle, we stopped by a small store to grab some refreshments and, yes, play foosball while we waited for our guide to arrive.

The Côa Valley

Our guide arrived, and we climbed into several jeeps to make the short drive to the Archeological Park of the Côa Valley. This Paleolithic archaeological site contains rock carvings of cows, horses, and humans that have been dated from 22,000 to 10,000 years BC. The carvings were re-discovered in the 1990s as part of a dam-building project which, if built, would have submerged the carvings forever. However, archeologists and representatives from UNESCO worked hard to halt the dam project, ultimately winning the public support they needed to do so.

The Archeological Park was created in 1996 and added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1998.

As we walked through the valley it was hard to spot the carvings. Many looked like natural lines on the rocks until you looked closer. Many carvings had other carvings over the top of them, so it was nice to have the guide, who could show us the illustration in her notebook and then point out where the carvings were on the rocks. After a few minutes, it became easier to spot the cows, horses, bulls, and people carved into the rocks some 22,000 years ago.

The tour of the park was a unique treat, and it was nice to mix up something cultural like this amid our tastings and Quinta visits. After a few hours in the park, we made stopped in quickly to see the museum, then we were off again – back to the hotel to change and get ready for dinner.

Dinner @ DOC

We were close enough to be able to walk to DOC Restaurante, one of my favorites in the Douro. We always have a special guest from the Port Trade join us when we dine at DOC, and this time was no exception. Shortly after we sat down, we were joined by Tânia Branco Oliveira, the PR and Communications Director at Sogevinus.

Besides writing a few notes on the Ports we consumed after dinner; the evening was filled by great conversation with Tânia, and an excellent multi-course feast that Chef Rui Paula and his team created for us.

2015 Barros Douro White, N/R
2015 Casa Burmester Reserva Douro White, N/R
2013 Curva Reserva Douro Red, N/R
2013 Kopke Reserva Douro Red, N/R

Kopke 30 Year Old White Port – Orange amber in color with great clarity. Orange peel, pralines, and vanilla on the nose. Very unctuous approach with orange spice that gives way to rich flavors of burnt sugar and caramel on the mid-palate. A lingering finish with bright acidity. NR 9/23/2016

1985 Cálem Vintage Port – Purple amber in color. Black fruit, floral boquet and touch of spirit on the nose. Fresh fruit, some pronounced tannins on the mid-palate. This one still has some years to age to come around. 91 points. 9/23/2016

1966 Kopke Colheita Port – Amber orange in color. Cigar box and orange spice on the nose. Unctuous orange peel and intense vanilla, caramel and mocha notes on the palate. Orange spice on the very long finish. 94 points. 9/23/2016

1952 Burmester Colheita Port – From an outstanding harvest for Colheitas. Orange with yellowish-green on the edge. Dusty notes with some cigar box and butterscotch on the nose. Deep unctuous, concentrated dry fruit and burnt sugar notes. Chocolate on the mid-palate and great acidity and balance on the finish. 96 points. 9/23/2016