Part of our “Latergram ” series. This trip took place June 2022.
PORTUGAL DAY 2-DUORO RIVER CRUISE
After a good nights rest, we were up and ready to start day 2 with a riverboat cruise up the Duoro River for our next adventure. We were shuttled down to Ribiera do Portofrom our hotel to catch our boat that will take us up river.
It was a perfect day to be on the water compared to the chilly and rainy day yesterday!
The weather was crisp, the sun was out and the coastal scenery was amazing for our 4.5 hour ride. What a great way to relax either inside the ship’s cabin or out on the top deck.
There were plenty of landscaped green hillsides, homes, estates as well as some wineries that we could see fro the deck of our boat.
RIVERBOAT CRUISE
There was never a shortage of wine, great views, and fun stories to be shared with those in our group. Here’s a collection of pictures I took as we made our way up river.
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- Total System: Five dams and locks create a total elevation difference of roughly 125 meters.
- Carrapatelo Lock: Renowned as one of the highest in Europe, this lock has a 35-meter (115-foot) vertical rise/fall, accommodating boats in a chamber 90 meters long and roughly 12 meters wide.
- Crestuma-Lever Lock: The first dam near Porto, featuring a 14-meter difference.
- Operation: The locks use 4 pairs of mooring floats on the walls to help boats rise or fall, and they often feature guillotine-style gates.
- Transit Experience: Passing through these locks is a major highlight, often taking around 30 minutes, with the process of filling by gravity and pumping being a dramatic experience for passengers. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Exploring Régua
Peso da Régua, commonly known as Régua, is a city in northern Portugal located in the heart of the UNESCO-listed Douro Valley. It is a vital hub for Port wine production and tourism, known for its scenic riverfront, vineyards, and historical role in shipping wine down the Douro River.
The area was established as the world’s first regulated wine region in 1756 by the Marquis of Pombal.
Upon arrival we had this fun little train to take us on a tour around the town and on to our afternoon wine tasting event.
Here are some more pictures from our tasting at Adega Cooperativa da Régua Wine Estate.
Adega Cooperativa da Régua, founded in 1959, is one of the foundational wine production centers in the heart of the Douro Valley, located in Peso da Régua. As a central cooperative for the region, it plays a significant role in the production of table wines, Port wines, and sparkling wines, often featured in tours that showcase the history of Douro winemaking
Caves Vale do Rodo, C.R.L. is a cooperative, founded in the Douro in 1950 by 25 winemakers. Their aim was to combine the strengths of winegrowers in the Douro around the town of Peso de Régua and in this way provide more employment, social security and better earnings. In 1950 a start was made with 70 members, who together produced 275,000 liters of port.
Meanwhile Caves Vale do Rodo has grown into a large cooperative with many members and they make different Ports of high quality. Today it has very modern technology and makes beautiful port wines from grapes from various vineyards with a variety of terroir. Every year the quality-related bar is raised and you can taste it.
A good example of how ‘state of the art’ merges beautifully with traditional viticulture in the Douro, the oldest demarcated wine region in the world.
Their wines have been awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals in national and international competitions. Its commercialization mainly takes place in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Spain, as well as, of course, on the national market
THAT'S A WRAP FOR DAY 2
Another full day of adventure to take In and absorb. We definitely enjoyed the slower paced day today. We will back at it tomorrow.
