I would like to show you some places that shouldn’t be forgotten on a two days trip to Porto and that will surprise you.

Casa da Música

A good starting point is the Boavista area, where you can visit the most recent and modern cultural space of the city: Casa da Musica. Going down Boavista Avenue, in direction to the sea, you arrive to the Serralves Museum and Gardens. In this Museum you can find fabulous exhibitions of Portuguese and International contemporary art, you should also take the opportunity to visit its wonderful gardens. If you visit the Museum until 18th January 2009 you will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition of the Spanish sculptor Juan Muñoz, who has a sculpture expose in the old part of the city in the Cordoaria Garden.

Juan Muñoz sculpture in Cordoaria Gardens

And while you are in the downtown, how about a visit to some landmarks of the city, like Tower of Clérigos, Carmo Church, Sé Cathedral and S. João Theater (you can find all information you need in Porto Turismo website). You shouldn’t miss also a walk through Miguel Bombarda Street, where you can find a lots of art galleries to visit.

At night I suggest a walking through Galeria de Paris Street, a new meeting point of the city. This quarter is known for its cosmopolitan side, here is normal to see people from different nationalities who are working or studying in the city and want to have some fun.

Ribeira

The next day, and to end the visit in the best way, nothing better than an afternoon evening in the Cais de Gaia, near the traditional Port Wine cellars. It is the best place to enjoy the sunset reflected on the Douro River, together with friends and a Quevedo Port.

Bruno Pinto

The book’s title is “Diário Douro” ["Douro Diary"] and is made of Miguel Torga’s words [Miguel Torga is my favourite writer, born in and passionate for the Douro valley], words that speak about the Douro’s people, genuine and good people that made the Douro that Torga loved and we like a lot. And between the words, amazing black-and-white photographs.

To be honest, as the helicopter that I dream about every time I go there, this book took me to Pesqueira without the usual car-sickness. By the way, an advice: enjoy the river by train or boat and feel the rythm the taste the perfume of that landscape of stone made wine. Jump at Ferradosa’s train station, close to Quinta Vale D’Agodinho, and there may be a Quevedo passing by to pick you up. Call them!

Next week I wiil write about the organic and biological trend, whuch seams to have arrived to Quevedo. I’m glad it has.

See you. A hug, Pedro

Editor’s note: Since 2002, my friends from University have come to our winery one week-end during the harvest, helping us to pick-up grapes, to bring it to the winery and also to make wine. This year the ritual was the same and we asked João Sarmento to write about that week-end and post it in our blog. There were two previous posts (1, 2) made during that week-end and now João is posting the last one, in which we also have a video produced by Renato Lima with the collaboration of Ana Isabel Fonseca. I I would like to say a thank you to all of them, not just by the post but mainly for those great moments we always have when we are together. Oscar Quevedo.

Rise and shine sleepy heads!

Today the makeup and high heals can stay at home, for the ladies. Men don’t need to shave or use a tie. The day is fully dedicated to the rocky soil of Douro’s region and its richness. You have to be prepared for a dirty pair of hands and a sweaty shirt. You have to be prepared for companionship, for a smile in the face of your friends, with a beautiful landscape as background.

The harvest begins at the first hours of the morning, when the first sunbeams touch the delightful bunches in the vineyards.

This year we went to Valongo dos Azeites, a small village 20 Km from S. João da Pesqueira. It’s very frequent a producer to have his properties in a 25 Km radius of its cellar. The terrain is rough and the people of the region know how to perform small miracles and take advantage of every little corner. This small portion in particular has perfect conditions for white grapes.

Scissors ready. Men and women ready. Boxes spread in the field. Let the games begin!

Four hours of recollection and enjoyment. Not a healthy grape can be left behind. This fortune can’t be wasted.

Let me tell you a small episode that shows how far goes the commitment of Quevedo to their land. During the collection somebody found a small almond tree right in the middle of the vineyards. The tree was young, three years at the most, and could not grow in that place. It could be rapidly ripped out but it will not survive. Oscar had a plan. We had to take it with maximum care, so it could be replanted in a proper location. To me this shows respect for ecological values and a profound conscience of balanced agriculture.

Then, came the return to the cellar. A calm trip because the cargo was precious and the road was twisty; a sinuous path, full of ups and downs, like the most of this region.

At the arrival to the cellar, all the big machines were ready to process the 1.250 Kg that we’ve catch. A couple of minutes and all the branches were separated from the grapes that followed to the massive stainless containers. There the fermentation began. And that was the beginning of a complex natural process, which transforms grape juice in the tasteful Quevedo White Port.

I let you with a small video, which shows all the activities.

João Sarmento

Related Posts:

Tired Men and Women, a Few Scratches, the Birth of a Magic Quevedo White Port

Coming up soon: The Mistery of the Harvest at Quevedo’s Winery

In the day after the Vintage tasting, I got Denis’ bike on the train and departed to Saint Emilion. Less than an hour after, I was in a lovely medieval village, very touristic and well preserved: almost a case-study of historical heritage conservation, and still vibrant of life and wine.

After pedaling up the hill to the center of the village, I decided to go up the many stairs of the main tower; from the top, the amazing view of a green vineyards’ plain, ideal scenary for good pictures and superb wines, as some say. It is curious how excellent wine can be born from such an harmonious place as this, as well as from Douro’s dramatic beauty.

The fact is that, some minutes later, I was tasting a Chateau Moulin des Graves 2004 and a Chateau Hautes Graves 2003, presented by their kind producer at the Maison du Vin, Saint Emilion’s wine museum. It was there that I had the notion of what I am definitely missing: a wine tasting workshop! It has been almost a month, and I still have (under my tongue, behind my nose… doesn’t matter) I meant that I carry with me a flavour that I still cannot identify nor describe, and believe me that I tried almost everything, even the wine aroma wheel.

But what impressed me the most about this region was the eye for detail that every “chateau” shows - ah, I found that “chateau” doesn’t mean “castle”, it means a farm with vineyards. From the wooden sign-boards to the lavender and box hedges, good taste is everywhere for the sake of the visitors.

What a wonderful benchmark for us… let’s get back to work, Quevedo!

Pedro in France drinking Vintage 2005

Hello, I’m back; I have been in France for the last couple of weeks, and I can say that this trip was the beginning of a new relationship with wine and the life that it represents.

I’ve been for three days in Bordeaux, region that is considered by many - in fact, many don’t know Douro yet - as the cradle of the world’s best wines.

There I stayed at two wine lovers, and offered them the best Quevedo; I had the chance of studying thoroughly the french tastes, and reached the conclusion that, based on a non representative but highly enthusiastic sample of tasters, Vintage Quevedo 2005 is the best Port Wine in the world.

At least in the world known by Pamela and Denis, my hosts in Cubnezais, a beautiful village near Bordeaux. And their world is not that small, as they knew Port brands like Cruz, Sandeman and Offley; I believe that none of them had sent an ambassador to their place, but I am confident that this fact did not interfere with their opinion.

With them I learnt how friendship can start in a glass of Port; even with ice sunk in the sacred Vintage, even accompanied by ‘cacahuetes’ instead of cheese or patês, even before dinner and not as a digestive. As one of us says, it is as good to anticipate successes as to commemorate them.

In the next weeks I’ll tell you about a bike tour in Saint Emilion and some wine tastings in Brittany.

Till then, um abraço do

Pedro

We started the trip in Cubelles, a nice seaside town 50 minutes south of Barcelona. We decided to get in through the “south door” of the park, this is through Sitges – another seaside town also at the south of Barcelona but much bigger then Cubelles.

Vines in the Parque Natural del Garraf

After leaving Sitges behind, the road was overland. I was tired because the road was so bad (and in addition I was in the back seat), the car was hard and the heat was stifling. I was almost feeling asleep. Up to this point, everything was ok, a simple vacations’ trip. But does this have anything to do with wines? In fact, Yes. Suddenly I saw vines and my heart started beating fast again! There were these surprising vines, growing white grapes from a varietal I could not identify. The grapes were not ripped yet; they had a fresh green skin and a quite tough berry. I could imagine the harvest was still far away, maybe early October. At that time we must had completed the vintage in Quinta Vale D’Agodinho and in Quinta da Trovisca. We must be finishing the harvest in Quinta da Sra. do Rosário, it is always the last one!

It was a big surprise when we discovered this acre of vineyards in the middle of the natural park full of beautiful vines! Between pines and bushes and in the dryness of an austere summer, half a dozen miles away from the Mediterranean Sea, a white wine I would taste one day was growing up! It will not be easy because I could not find any vine-grower from the Penedès DO which had vines in the middle of the Natural Park of Garraf but I’ll keep searching! Until I find it, It will stay in my memory as my 2008 summer crush.

Óscar Quevedo

I discovered this small town 4 years ago after meeting Oscar (Jr). I am from Barcelona (Spain) so this was quite a different environment for me, but when I met this place I just felt in love. The buildings, the kindness of the people, the food, the views, the passion for wines… Everything made this place unique.

One of the most surprising things for me was to see the coexistence -in a relatively small place- of modernity and tradition. On one side I saw a lot of nice restaurants, a cute hotel and beautiful streets and buildings, and on the other side, mixed up with well-dressed tourists, you would find farmers buying fertilizers for their vineyards, these little streets packed with tiny houses that belonged to another time or the bread maker ringing the door-bells of the town to sell his bread. Can you see yourself answering to the doorbell in the middle of Barcelona and saying “ Yes João, two bread loafs and four rolls, please”?? I couldn’t, but know I feel so well when I do!

Another thing that captivated me was the food. It nearly seems ridiculous to say this but here tomatoes taste like tomatoes (100 times better than the ones we buy back at home at the grocery store), the meat -which belongs to the farmer two towns away- is so tasty and everything is natural!. I am going to confess that here I discovered the real flavour of strawberries. Can you imagine? I had to wait 25 years to taste a REAL strawberry with its concentrate and strong sweetness, maybe not as perfect-shaped as the ones I’ve seen but incredibly delicious.

Things here happen without an announcement and it was like this that once, while we were in the Quevedo Winery, appeared Mr. Valentim (the boss of the workers of the family), dressed up in a white suit carrying a bee hive. He showed us how to collect the honey from the hives and we could even taste a piece of wax full of this amazing honey… I wish I could send a piece to each reader of this post (you would love it).

This is an Oasis in the crazy world we live in. When we come here for the weekend, after a long working week in Madrid (4 hours away), this feels like another world: no stress, no pollution, people passionated for everything they do… It is a REAL world.  

I strongly recommend you to come and visit S. João da Pesqueira and feel yourselves all the sensations I tried to transmit you. It is worth it.

I send you my best regards and be happy!

Nadia Adria