This month I took a cruise at Douro River with some friends from work. We made the course from Gaia to Pinhão. It's a great cruise to make, the landscape is magnificent! From the river you have a completely view of the UNESCO classified area! As a souvenir, I mailed myself this postcard of the historic train at Pinhão train station.
"Spectacularly located at the confluence of the Douro and Pinhão rivers, 22 km upstream from Peso da Régua, the small town of Pinhão is the epicentre of the Port winemaking area, and a place where the soil and climatic conditions are considered to be at their very best.
Although a
sleepy town for most of the year, Pinhão bursts into life in autumn during the
annual grape harvest, attracting pickers from all over the country.
What to
see. Popular for its peaceful riverside location and surrounding scenery,
Pinhão is a mecca for lovers of fine wine.
Built on
the site of an 18th century wine estate, the four-star Vintage House Hotel
operates regular tastings and courses covering a wide range of aspects, such as
the main types, how the wine is made and buying and storing.
Nearby.
Between Pinhão and Pocinho, a small town 40 km eastwards along the River Douro,
the railway line passes within view of some of the most famous Port vineyards.
Croft’s Quinta da Roeda, Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos and Cockburn’s Tua are
all within sight of the train. Further along are two of the grandest of all
vineyard estates: Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas and the Symingtons’ Quinta do
Vesúvio, both of which have their own private railway stations.
Sabrosa, a
short drive to the north of Pinhão, is the birthplace of Fernão de Magalhães
(Ferdinand Magellan), who was born there in 1480. One ship of his fleet of five
(commanded by the Basque Juan Sebastián de Elcano) was the first to
circumnavigate the globe between 1519 and 1522. Magellan himself was
killed en route in the Philippines.
Another
attraction in close proximity to Sabrosa is Vila Mateus, home to the
world-famous rosé wine." In: Portugal Travel Guide
No comments:
Post a Comment