It was our wedding anniversary (September 12), and we woke up to a beautiful morning for our Douro River cruise. But first, we were greeted at breakfast with a very nice (and delicious!) surprise:

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)c

Our tour leader, Serena, had ordered a pancake anniversary cake for us!

Following breakfast, we drove alongside the Douro River to meet up with our cruise boat, in Pinhão. In addition to the two crew, it was just Serena and our group of fifteen enjoying a peaceful ride on the Douro, taking in the views of the wineries along each bank.

Winding its way across the width of Portugal, the Douro flows into the Atlantic Ocean in Porto, the subject of my next post.

The entire Douro Valley has been known for its port wine production for centuries. The first detailed account of port production came from Englishmen in 1678 after they visited the Abbot of Lamego, a vicar and vintner who served them red wine fortified with brandy. The Englishmen described it as “very agreeable, sweetish, and extremely smooth,” and purchased the Abbot’s entire stock to ship to England where it was a big hit. By the mid-1700’s, it was a formally protected wine with a Designation of Origin to control quality.

After our cruise, we visited the terraced vineyards of Quinta Portela, where we learned about the production of port wine and had a tasting with an alfresco lunch, overlooking the vineyards. Each of the wines (and there were several!) were paired with traditional a Portuguese snack. The wine and food flowed, our group had a blast, and it was a fabulous anniversary!

Next up: SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #23: PHOTOGENIC, PRETTY PORTO, PART 1