[DOURO VALLEY, PORTUGAL] — Here’s an overview of the perfect wine tour with Douro Exclusive Tours, the best wine tour in Douro Rive Valley. And a great wine tasting at Quinta do Panascal. And all the best things to do Douro Valley and where to go in the Douro Valley.

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I see all these Instagram peeps hitting Porto taking pictures of the big bridge, climbing up its steep hills, drinking some port and then bolting to somewhere else in Portugal.

But really what they’re missing is a day trip (or longer) up the Douro River to visit the incredible, hilly stair-step vineyards of the Douro Valley, one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been.

Most people come visit Porto, take a picture of the bridge and leave. What they’re missing is taking a couple of days exploring the Douro River valley to visit the incredible, hilly stair-step vineyards. It’s one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been.

I dunno, I’m over wine tours, once you see a few, they’re all the same to me — “Is that French oak or American? How long in stainless??” — poke me in the eye with a stick…but that’s just me.

But the Douro Valley is different. Hilly. Steep. Flinty mounds of luscious green heaven pouring down to a mellow meandering river. Each and every hill terraced from top to bottom with luscious rows of grapes. 

In Porto, all they talk about is Port. The Port cellars. Port. Port. Port.

But when you go to the Douro Valley, you find all these amazing, deep, rich, dark, dry beautiful red wines that are like nowhere else. Wines you will be hard to find anywhere else.

Douro Exclusive–The Best Douro Valley Wine Tours

You can take a day-trip tour out of Porto like I did my first time in Porto, but that is one VERY long day or driving over steep hills, tasting wines and then taking the long drive back. Don’t do that. Instead, do like I did the second time and stay in the valley and save yourself a half day of driving. (see my hotel recommendations below)

But however you do it, I strongly recommend that you park your car and let Douro Exclusive do the driving. A sweet husband and wife team, Ana and Marco Carvalho, they quit their office jobs in the city and moved back home to start their own tour company. They grew up right here, so they know everybody and every hilltop and backwater road to the best views.  

I’ve taken two multi-day tours with Douro Exclusive and loved every day, even the second time around visiting the same places. I’ve sent so many friends to them and they all rave. I love these people so much.

What makes their tours special is that they are less about wine-tastings and visiting the many wineries and more about the beauty of this valley, its people and important history in the evolution of wine.

They’ve build such a strong reputation in the Douro Valley that their company has grown, adding more people, guides, vans and even a very cool guest villa. (see below)

Take their Silver Tour and you’ll stop at a vineyard, take a short boat ride to see the hills from the water, stop for an amazing lunch at famous chef Rui Paula’s DOC restaurant right on the water (see story below)… and end the day at the best mountaintop views of the best stretch of the valley.

What I loved about Douro Exclusive tour of the Douro Valley was it was more about understanding the incredible land and its importance as one of the world’s first big wine production areas, not a full-on wine tasting tour.

Yes, you can take the wine train or a river cruise to Spain, but nothing beats getting in and staying in these beautiful hills, watching the sun rise to sunset. And Ana and Marco’s team knows all the best viewpoints and are friends with most of the vintners.

Douro Valley–Amazing Views Around Every Corner

For thousands of years, since Roman times, these Douro vineyards were coaxed out of solid flint rock by hand and metal bar. Terraced from top to bottom, the soil so flint-rocky that some of the rows go straight up and down the mountains, without worry of runoff or erosion.

There really isn’t one varietal, Douro wines are usually thick inky blends of dozens of types of local varietal grapes you’ve never heard of. Often mixed together in a “field blend” because the vines are so old and intermixed, there isn’t a fixed percentage blended.

Man, Douro wines are so good. I love them like puppies.

What’s Makes the Douro River Valley So Special?

This. The flinty, rocky, no-real-dirt-there soil in all these beautiful hills. The ground is primarily schist, thrust up from below. The same type of rocky soil that makes dry Spanish reds like Priorat (my other favorite) taste so deep and rich.

Because of its water-shedding properties, the soil conditions and minerality help create deep thick skins and concentrate flavors that make this wine so treasured for its richness and depth. And during the summer, the stone retains heat, which extends the ripening into the night.

The Romans were the first to start growing wines here in the 3rd & 4th Centuries, then the Cistercian monks, god bless ’em, really perfected their wine making.

By then 1700s, England was chugging wine like crazy and fortified port wine became popular because it wouldn’t spoil on its transport to England. This was the first designated wine region in the world. So that’s why you see so many English names one the port lodges in Porto have so many English names, having invested in production to keep the port flowing.

Get On A Boat Tour On The Famous Douro River

One of the coolest part of the Douro Exclusive wine tours is a boat ride along the Douro River, seamlessly planned so that you don’t waste any time. You tour vineyards, then pop down to a dock and the boat is waiting to whisk you upstream.

I can’t express enough how cool it is to be right on the water and looking UP at all the crazy terraces and picturesque wineries along the banks. It’s a quick hour, but the perfect amount of time.

The Douro used to be a wild river, with rapids and waterfalls and locks. Daring boatmen used to to run the dangerous rapids in their flat bottom boats, heaving with heavy kegs of port. That’s why you see the unique shape of these boats today.

Stop for Lunch at Rui Paula’s DOC Restaurant, Right on the River

Rui Paula is one of Portugal’s most famous chefs. Michelin-starred multiple times, he grew up in the Northeast of Portugal and DOC was one of his first Michelin restaurants.

It’s right on the river, glass windows look out on all the busy river boats. Amazing food. And Douro Exclusive has tables reserved and you get whisked in and sat immediately.

Douro Exclusive’s tour was more about natural beauty and love of Portugal than copping a buzz. DOC was the perfect example of that.

A Port Tasting at Fonseca’s Quinta do Panascal Winery

We stopped each tour at the gloriously beautiful Quinta do Panascal, the flagship vineyard owned by the big producer, Fonseca. Tucked into a little side river canyon, this ancient vineyard was just perfect. You get to taste and learn all about the different ports, red, white, tawny, ruby, etc.

Nestled right along the mellow Tàvora River before it feeds into the Douro, they say the best grapes in Portugal come from this little valley right here. Just a dreamy location to stop and learn the quirky history of port.

Quinta do Panascal, the flagship vineyard owned by the big producer, Fonseca. Nestled right along the mellow Tàvora River before it feeds into the Douro, they say the best grapes in Portugal come from this little valley right here. Each row is planted with a different varietal to take advantage of this advantageous location that gets sun all day. Cool grapes along the cool river, different ones along the flinty dry hilltops. Pictures just don’t do this view justice. It was so beautiful, quiet and surreal.

Learn All About The Douro’s Other Wines at Quinta do Cume

Quinta do Cume is a newer winery in an ancient wine-growing part of the Douro Valley. A lovely spread with killer views. It’s small and private and feels like your own vineyard. A great way to end the day.

Where to Stay Douro Valley

I regret not coming out here and staying in one of the few, but cool, new hotels that have opened up here in recent years and really get immersed in the mellow vibe. Like this one, the brand new Six Senses hotel, straddling a hilltop, overlooking the sauntering Douro River below.

Here are some great recommendations from my Instagram friends Joana and Sofia and their fantastic JO&SO boutique hotel review website. They have amazing taste.

Casa do Arco–Douro Exclusive’s Stunning new Guesthouse

Douro Exclusive’s cool new guest house, the Casa do Arco. A fully immersive wine experience. They recently built it to provide a totally immersive wine experience. Can’t wait to stay there. Here’s their 5 star reviews on TripAdvisor.

The Vila Galé

Or this new hotel Ana recommended to me a couple of years ago. The Vila Galé. We stayed here for a couple of nights and the location can’t be beat. Nice little restaurant — hopefully the wonderful Fernando is still working there — and great rooms strung up the hillside. Some are modern, but I had a great room called The Kitchen Suite with amazing views. Here’s a big post I made on the hotel Vila Galé Douro.

The hotel is part of a larger chain, but this hotel was done really nice, set amidst the valley with incredible views of the river and surrounded on all sides by terraced vineyards.

— Last visited April 2015 and September 2019; Post Update January 2025 —

More Information on Portugal and Douro Valley

Here’s a link to another post on what to do in Porto.

Here’a a great article in the Wall Street Journal on the growing great restaurants in the Douro Valley, including Rui Paul’s restaurant I mentioned above.

Here’s where you should stay, in a more recent trip and post to Portugal.

And a great article in Travel & Leisure on how the Douro is the next cool place to go. And another great T&L article about driving through the wine country.

Another cool article in Food & Wine on how the Douro is about to become the next big wine destination. I concur.

I read this article when I got back about the re-wilding of the Douro Valley in T&L. I wanna go back.

And a great guide from the UK Conde Nast Traveller on the Douro Valley.

And a great overview on Porto and Douro from the famous Wendy Perrin on her awesome website.