Pinhão is for Lovers
Trip Report From Wine Country
It’s time for our second trip report.
In January we Chased Giants in Nazaré, an adventure packed with wind, rain, and big waves. This time we opted for a more relaxing weekend in one of Portugal’s most well-known wine regions - the Douro River Valley.
We’ll get back to the adulting next week. For now, grab a glass, sit back, and enjoy the escapism.
Portugal is Full of Drunks
Sounds crazy, but it’s true. According to an article I found on the internet1, and verified anecdotally by our architect, Miguel2, the Portuguese drink more wine per capita than any other country in the world, clocking in at an astonishing 52 liters per person per year. 🫠
Porto is home to world-famous port wine, and they also make plenty of normal red, pink, and white here as well. And of course vinho verde (green wine), a young, slightly effervescent danger juice that goes down like apple cider.
All that wine has to come from somewhere. While there are plenty of regions around Portugal, the Douro has led production for centuries. Currently, around 43 million gallons of wine flow out of the Douro each year, comprising about 22% of Portugal’s total production.
Lucky for us, trains run daily from here to there…
Porto to Pinhão
It takes about 2.5 hours to get to Pinhão (pronounced peen-yow), the sleepier of the two overnight wine destinations accessible by rail (Regua is the other one). The majority of this old-school train ride hugs the river, tracking terraced valley walls dotted with old quintas, vineyards, and olive groves.
There are, of course, myriad destinations and experiences to be had throughout the Douro region, but our trips have been confined to the destinations along the tracks. It’s just too inexpensive and convenient to hop on a train. Last year we spent a weekend in Regua and have been smitten ever since.
Hilary found us a reasonably-priced room at a “5-star” hotel in Pinhão (that’s normally €€€€ in season), so last Friday we hopped the train and made our way upriver.
The classic train cars that run this line are less comfortable than fancy, modern trains but the charm factor is dialed to 11. You can open the windows to take in the fresh air and snap photos of the stunning river valley. In the off-season, you almost have the train to yourself.
We rolled into sleepy Pinhão around 4 pm, checked in, and enjoyed our welcome drink (port wine, of course) sitting on the terrace above the river. Magical.
What, You Just Drink All Weekend?
The cornerstone of tourism in Douro is, of course, wine, but we don’t just go there to drink. We actually savor the opportunity to get some hiking in.
We miss walking up big hills and being rewarded with expansive views. Growing up in the PNW, it’s in our blood. The hills here aren’t as big as in Oregon, but they still get the heart pumping.
Last year we found a segment of the Caminho de Santiago that ran through Regua and followed it up a hillside through vineyards and small towns. It was ultra charming tracking the little shell signs and basking in gorgeous views back down at the river.
This time AllTrails took us straight up the valley wall to a little hilltop town complete with a cafe and miradouro. The trail was lined with crumbling schist rock walls, slicing across one of Dow’s vineyards and up through ancient olive terraces. We had epic views the whole way and savored the old-world feel of wandering well-worn paths.
After our hike, we found a small cafe that miraculously had a vegan burger on offer (barely anything in the town was open), then hopped a 30-min train down to Regua to do some scouting. We are taking our future host duties seriously, trying to build good local knowledge for when guests come to visit. (Hint: come visit us!)
We also dropped into Six Senses, the absolute beacon of luxury in Douro. We’ve been stalking this place since our prior visit and finally got a glimpse inside. It was our first Six Senses experience, and we were blown away.
We toured the property and had a cocktail on the veranda, soaking in a level of luxury that’s easily a few socioeconomic tiers above our mortal plane. Maybe someday they’ll allow points-based bookings. lol.
There’s plenty of other fun to be had out in the valley, whether it’s river boat cruises, kayaking, mountain biking, jeep tours, or simply touring around the sleepy, old towns that litter the hillsides. We’ll be back for sure.
Have you been anywhere fun lately? Fill us in!
This week’s music is in honor of David Jolicoeur, aka Dove aka Trugoy of De La Soul, who tragically passed recently, only days before their entire catalog was FINALLY released on streaming. RIP Dove.
Everything you find on the internet is true.
We trust Miguel.
The pictures are gorgeous, especially the lead one and the train station. I remember as a young woman traveling by train alone Spain into Portugal. Spain was tortuous with nasty Spaniards harassing me all the time. And then we crossed into Portugal and it all stopped. Peace and sense of being safe again.
My husband and I have since been to Portugal a few times. Still claim that Portuguese people are so much nicer than Spaniards. We visited the Douro valley and have the best of memories.
Would love to come back and join the drunkards!