A day on the Douro with the Vale Alto family
Four generations of winemakers, a harvest trodden by foot and a veranda above the river.
At Quinta do Vale Alto the grapes are still trodden by foot in granite lagares, in the evening, to the sound of an accordion. "It is the gentlest press there is," says Ana, who runs the estate with her father.
Terraces built by hand
The Douro was the first demarcated wine region in the world, in 1756. Its terraces, carved into the schist by hand over two centuries, are listed by UNESCO.
Visit in September
During the harvest, visitors can pick grapes with the team and share the harvest lunch. The rest of the year, the tasting on the veranda is just as good.
Photo: Michael Gaylard from Horsham, UK (CC BY 4.0), Wikimedia Commons