Fantastic Fairytale Tour of Douro Vineyards, Amarante, Vila Real, Mateus Palace, and More! - We took a thrilling tour of the Douro Valley on the Saturday before Easter, imagining a hobbit popping out around every curve on a misty day. João, our host and driver, picked us up at our hotel in Porto in an impeccably clean Mercedes van, and immediately began our education in the history of the Douro region. One of our party is disabled, and João planned our trip perfectly, making accommodations at every step. Northern Portugal is very hilly, and historically was very arduous to travel through. We drove through tunnels, around curves, over bridges high over rivers, oohing and aahing over the views, and arrived first at Amarente, a lovely village with charming cafe, near an Insta-ready church plaza. Of course, we had to have Portuguese pastries (the first of many to come). Next, we learned the history of the area, while driving to Vila Real. The old part of the town had many shops and church buildings - but first, we took a side trip to the Mateus Palace while discovering that many of the roads were painted for road rallies and that the city was famous for black pottery. I remembered Mateus from my university days with the distinctive bottle - but here, but at the palace, we found amazing grounds, the castle, and some Harry Potter history. Later, we stopped for some savory pastries and a demonstration of how pastries were made. The best was yet to come, as we meandered around the rivers in the region on the way to a wine tasting and vineyard tour. The region takes wine making very seriously and we learned some of the science that goes into maintaining vineyards. Due to the mountainous terrain, almost vertical in some instances, the vineyards are terraced. Wine (not just Port, but whites, reds, and vinho verde) was transported via boat and due to the rapids was known as one of the most treacherous occupations. The views from the vineyard were outstanding, and our vineyard guide taught us about the ecological practices that Douro puts in place to protect the wine making industry. We tasted a red, a white, and port - all of which were delicious, as was the charcuterie plate provided by the vineyard. Aside from all we saw and experienced, what made this trip memorable was João's intimate knowledge of the region and industry that is part of his DNA. Thanks to Luxury Douro Tours for a fabulous day! I highly recommend this type of tour - we would never have seen some amazing details and learned so much in a group expedition. I'm grateful to João for making this a highly accessible, entertaining and educational tour.