Throw them wide – Douro Vineyard Stay

Due to the temperature forecast moving into the 30s, I had wavered in my plan to do the unusual (for me) and go and stay at the Park4Night recommended vineyard only a few miles up in the hills from Regua, versus driving north into Spain to my target destination of Lago de Sanabria.

But threw caution to the wind yesterday and drove up to 600 metres above sea level, up the windy, twisty, but at least hill-hugging right side of the road. Driving alongside the river and up into the hills, before it got too high of course, in the morning sun was joyous. The vineyard’s field where we can stay for free – beautiful and peaceful. The wine-tasting session with Jose, one of the owners of the vineyard, Quinta de Padrela, was so interesting, tasting the wine, olive oil, and a partner company’s cheese made from a mix of cow, goat and sheep milk, learning about the vineyard, area and production process, and all in the company of other ‘guests’ from Germany, Canada, and a couple John and Donna, (John born in Harrogate), spending 2 years intending to travel east ultimately along the Silk road all the way to China, in their converted army Landrover – see dedicated post.

Conversation was enjoyable, strayed towards politics and some national characteristics – not british ones thankfully. We managed to deftly steer away from Brexit, and even Trump as a common theme with our Canadian group members, towards what we all agreed was the more interesting topic and caused alot of laughter – the wine effect also no doubt: the pronunciation challenge offered to Jose by the words ‘sheep cheese’ which he initially described as ‘cheese from sheeps’ in an effort to not convey that the cheese was … – you try saying it! Our German companions’ English, and Jose’s, was of course good enough for the tour to be given, all understood and contributed to, in English.

Some interesting facts for me to remember and these items on the tray are part of this week’s staving off dementia exercise: this area experiences temperatures from 0 in winter with snow just above here to up to 40 degrees in Summer; average-sized vineyard, with one side being 30 years old roughly, and the ‘old’ one 70 years old; don’t irrigate the vineyard as no need to, and only allowed as part of a licence to plant out a new vineyard; produce blended wines, mostly red, some white and rose; sell all over the world via distributors; harvest literally by hand by people from the area, primarily over the age of 50, as the ‘young’ as Jose calls people upto this age!! , and he’s one of them, are too lazy :); mature the red wine in French oak barrels, rather than those eg from US, as impart different tastes: a barrel costs about 1000eu and is used for 3 seasons; corks used in bottles to contribute to maturing process; 2 years ago lost over 50% of production due to bad weather in Spring, and last year I think it was 30%; very regulated to keep the quality up; portuguese television tends not to dub the English, in favour of sub-titles, hence their proficiency.

So glad I came here – have lovely shady spot – not too hot in the end thanks to the breeze and no doubt altitude, and the night was cool. Woke up this morning to the vista from my apartment (bijou) window, did a cycle ride through surrounding vineyards – yes uphill couldn’t be avoided – took in a coffee at the lovely town of Tabuaco, and now back for the afternoon and evening, sitting in the sun/shade, reading, writing and arithmetic loading costs into spreadsheet :), planning the next part of the route across Spain and into and across France, eating the cherries and oranges bought from a road side seller, and will slice off some of that cheese from sheeps …..

and tho’ on my own, still the song reflects it all perfectly.