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Portugal Luxury Harvest Tour 2018

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4,300€ **

  • Private
  • Theme: Food,Wine
  • Duration: 9 days
  • Availability: September 1 - 9, 2018

Terms and Conditions

All tour pricing is based on two people traveling, unless otherwise noted. Discounts may apply for groups larger than two. Not all tours are available for single travelers. Prices and availability may change based on holidays and weather.

Not what you are looking for?

If the date, timings or itinerary isn’t exactly what you were looking for, contact us! We’d love to customize a trip or tour just for you.

BUILD A TOUR ALL TOURS

Seven days basking in terrace-lined vineyards heavy with juicy, ripe grapes. Seven days tasting a wide array of world class Portuguese wines under the warm golden rays of autumn. Seven days savoring mouthwatering cuisine crafted from fresh ingredients taken directly from the stunning landscape of Northern Portugal. 

For one entire week, you’ll feel the grapes in the palm of your hand, smell the rocky soils beneath your feet, and hear the rush of the Douro River as you experience your first Portuguese Harvest. Do not miss this opportunity!

You’ll take in the panoramic views of the Douro Valley. Touch the moss covered trees of Vinho Verde. Meandor the hand-laid cobblestone streets of Porto. Savor the perfectly juicy suckling pig of the Bairrada. Bask in the wildflower and dolomite fields of the Alentejo and taste hundreds of exceptional Portuguese wines from across the entire North and Central regions. 

Catavino will ensure every single detail is accounted for. So sit back, relax and enjoy one of the most luxurious and memorable 9 day tours of your life!

**Gross price per person sharing a double room. A minimum of 10 participants are needed for trip confirmation.

Highlights:

  • As vibrant red grapes hang heavy on the vine along the breathtaking terraces of the Douro Valley, your team of local experts will gently guide your hand in picking, cutting and sorting each and every bunch to produce the very best vintage possible. You’ll then climb into an ancient stone lagar as a gregarious group of musicians entice you to stomp, dance and tread unctuous purple grapes to liquid perfect. 
  • Have long leisurely conversations with internationally acclaimed producers while meandering through their vines and enjoying curated tasting sessions of their various styles of wines.
  • Visit wineries of 5 different wine regions: Douro, Dão, Lisbon, Setúbal and Alentejo.
  • Bask in the lap of luxury while staying in four and five star hotels recognized not only for their stunning architecture, but for their unprecedented attention to detail.
  • Savor traditional Portuguese cuisine such as juicy suckling pig, hearty kale soups, freshly caught seafood and a never-ending array of cured sausage, cheese, olives and bread. 

Well, we are back home in NY.  The trip was fantastic!!   Our friends had a wonderful time and will be talking about this trip for years…   Everything was top shelf….Thank you both so much!

Tour Itinerary

  • Arrive to Porto: The city of warmth and light

    Welcome to Porto! 

    After checking into your 4 star hotel, take the afternoon to explore one of the most popular and inviting cities in Europe! Walk the narrow cobbled streets by the stunning Se Cathedral, savoring the vibrant colors, the small flowerpots teeming with spring daisies, the fat cats sprawled on cement steps basking in the moonlight. 

    Come evening, after meeting Catavino’s very own, Ryan Opaz, in the hotel lobby, you’ll be whisked away to the opposite side of the river for an unforgettable meal under the stars. From the sprawling terrace at one of the best Port Lodges in Vila Nova da Gaia, you’ll not only enjoy a spectacular view of Porto’s majestic skyline, but you’ll also experience an outstanding Port tasting! 

  • A Thousand Flavors of Port Wine

    After checking out of your hotel, your guide will meet you in the lobby for your very first tour of the day. Heading back over the river to the cobbled streets of Vila Nova de Gaia to a renown producer of Tawny and Colheita Port wines, you’ll spend the morning tasting your way through vintages very few people in the world have had the pleasure of experiencing.

    Lunch will be spent along the sea at a newly renovated seafood restaurant where you’ll tuck into large rock crabs, meaty lobster and sweet delicate shrimp taken right off the coast. This family run restaurant is often frequented by fellow winemakers, so don’t be surprised a few unexpected bottles grace your table.

    Come afternoon, you’ll journey deep into the Douro Valley where you’ll check into your riverside 5 star hotel.  This 18th-century wine lodge, on the banks of the River Douro was converted into a hotel by port makers for whom it had long been part of their estate. Its wisteria-clad stone walls house 50 rooms including four new master suites and a shop specializing in the best wines of the region. Dinner will also be at the hotel, consisting of regional delights from the Douro.

  • The Vertiginous Vineyards of the Douro

    The Douro is more than award-winning wine and natural wonder, it’s family. The Portuguese are renown for their generosity, their hospitality and their undying loyalty to their land. For generations, Douro families have precariously traversed across their steep terraced vines to gently pick, sort and press their grapes. Today, you’ll meet a family who has dedicated their lives to sharing their passion for not only wine, but their small corner of the Douro Valley. Gregarious, and infectiously loving, you’ll quickly fall in love with both their wines and their estate. 

    Lunch will be served in a tiny little restaurant with a panoramic view renown to winemakers across the Valley for their outstanding ingredients and even better service. Run by a talented and nurturing mother and daughter team, this cozy restaurant serves up regional dishes ranging from perfectly tender octopus to juicy goat.

    After a relaxing private boat cruise down the Douro River, you’ll finish off your evening at one of the highest acclaimed estates in Portugal for a exclusive VIP tasting and dinner. If you’re looking for a moment to relish and gloat to your friends about an old Vintage you savored in the lap of luxury, this is it!

  • An Ode to Touriga Nacional and the Dão

    Today, you’ll leave the terraced vineyards of the Douro to head South to the hilly and lush region of the Dão. Nestled between Portugal’s Atlantic coast to the west and Caramulo and Buçaco Mountains to the east, this region has garnered an exceptional reputation for cultivating elegant wines with Portugal’s iconic grape, Touriga Nacional. Most of today will be dedicated to exploring the multitude of ways Touriga Nacional can express itself with barrel tastings, vineyards walks, and of course, a specially prepared tasting with regional foods. 

    After lunch, you’ll check into your 5 star hotel in the city of Coimbra. This medieval capital of Portugal is also the site of the country’s greatest university for over five centuries. Its atmospheric, beautiful historic core cascades down a hillside in a lovely setting on the east bank of the Rio Mondego: the perfect setting for a historic afternoon tour. 

    The evening is yours to explore, but as this region is known for its savory suckling pig and elegant sparkling wines, we’ll happily guide you to the sweet spots in the city to savor the very best on offer. 

  • Dramatic Alentejo Landscapes and Historic Charm

    Today, you’ll experience large swatches of land dotted with perfectly round pine trees, and scraggly olive and holm-oak forests, that cast long, obscure shadows. Florescent wildflowers blanket the valleys, large horns from gigantic steers peek over undulating hills, and ancient Dolomite ruins create a majestic setting for a gastronomy tour of the Alentejo.

    Lunch and sip upon bold, flavorful wines filled with character at a stunning winery nestled in the heart of the region; followed by a private walking guided tour through Évora’s historic center. Évora happens to be the name for many things – a city, a district, a municipality, and the capital of the Alentejo region. It is ancient in its history, diverse in its architecture, youthful in its university life, humble in its demeanor, exquisite in its gastronomy and dynamic in its political identity.

    After checking into your 5 star hotel, you’ll head to dinner where you’ll savor typical Alentejo flavors such as rich sheep’s cheese, black pork, salt cod, earthy wild mushrooms and asparagus.

  • Stomping Grapes in a Traditional Portuguese Lagar

    The day has finally come for you to savor a rare experience few will ever have, a traditional Portuguese food treading! After a leisurely morning learning how to harvest the perfect grapes, tasting a range of fabulous wines and lunching on regional Alentejano cuisine, you’ll climb into a stone lagar to stomp your first grapes. There’s something so visceral and indulgent about squishing grapes between your toes, feeling the juices rush past your thighs and pooling behind your knees. Shoulder to shoulder, you’ll march in a steady rhythm across the lagar as the foreman calls time “um, dois”. It is a methodical process of pacing back and forth to ensure the grapes are thoroughly crushed to release the juice and pulp from their skins. After awhile, “liberdade”, freedom, will be declared, allowing you to dance, chat or sing while slowly treading or dancing on the grapes. It’s fun, freeing and fabulously messy!

    Tonight, you’ll head to the historic center for a luxurious dinner in a sixteenth-century Palace to enjoy regional flavors such as game smoked sausage sautéed with turnip leaves and quails eggs or crunchy Serpa cheese with sun-dried fruits and wild rocket salad. 

  • The Breezy Coastal Flavors of Setúbal

    Experience the best of the Setúbal Peninsula wine region through the eyes of a native. Setúbal boasts of many important Portuguese natural heritage sites including: the Tejo estuary, the Serra da Arrábida nature park, Meco Beach, Espichel Cape and Sesimbra Castle. You’ll savor regional pastries, explore a quaint little towns, see lush farmlands and majestic mountains, and enjoy a delicious seafood lunch in the quaint village of Sesimbra. And most importantly, you’ll visit the famed wineries producing the region’s beloved Moscatel de Setúbal, a deliciously sweet yet little known fortified wine, along with other reds and whites. The evening is on your own to relax at your hotel or hit the town in search of new coastal flavors. 

  • A Final Farewell from Lisbon

    Meet the passionate people crafting old-school Portuguese food deep inside Lisbon’s traditional neighborhoods.

    Today’s Lisbon food tour will take you to the traditional hole-in-the-wall bakeries famed for their warm, freshly baked breads and eggy, sweet tarts. But your egg adventure won’t end there. Ovos (eggs) are an essential ingredient in all Portuguese cuisine. They’re poached in soups and açordas (bread stew); fried on top of steaks, mixed in sausages and sandwiches; blended into many of their beloved bacalhau (salted cod) dishes; and beaten with sugar and cinnamon in numerous desserts and sweets. You’ll explore heaps of these delicious recipes alongside a wide range of Portuguese wines. Explore the undiscovered flavors of traditional canned fish, savory petiscos (Portuguese small bites), craft Portuguese beer and a range of freshly picked fruit and nuts. 

    After a leisurely afternoon on your own, head to an iconic Lisbon restaurant for a memorable farewell dinner. The restaurant’s founders hail from Portugal’s northern-most province the Minho which celebrate specialities including roast kid and baked octopus, but its menu also includes savory southern dishes such as açorda  – a delicious porridge of bread, garlic, olive oil, and cilantro served with shrimp and lobster. Lined with photos and caricatures featuring stars of stage, screen, and soccer fields who have indulged their appetite in this temple to traditional food, you will forever remember this farewell dinner paired with some of the best wines across Portugal.

  • Warm Memories and a Sense of Saudade

    By the end of this tour, we trust that your love of Portuguese wine will not only deepen, but you’ll have a profound sense of saudade – a sense of longing and missing combined with a paradoxical joy and hope for the yet distant future. In short, you’ll be booking your next culinary trip to Portugal the minute you get home! Hence, we can either whisk you off to the airport in a private chauffeured car, or you can head out on one last Day Tour of Sintra & Cascais or a Half-day Cultural Tour of Lisbon. 

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Check out what's included and not included on this tour

INCLUDED

  • 8 Nights in 4-star/5-star hotels in Double Standard Room, Breakfast Included;
  • Private Arrival and Departure Transfers by Deluxe Mercedes Sedan with English Speaking driver – 1 per couple;
  • Deluxe Bus with English-speaking driver at disposal as per itinerary;
  • Wine Expert guide and CEO of Catavino, Ryan Opaz, at disposal as per itinerary;
  • 6 Dinners  (pre-set menu with wines);
  • 6 Lunches (pre-set menu with wines);
  • 2 Port Wine Lodge visits with wine tasting;
  • 5 winery visits and wine tastings;
  • Winery Harvest activity;
  • 1 Hour Private Rabelo Boat Cruise;
  • Private Walking Food Tour in Lisbon – tastings included;
  • Private Sesimbra & Azeitão Tour (with lunch included);
  • 1 Hour walking guided tour in Coimbra;
  • Welcome information packet, restaurant recommendations, our 24 hour contact number;
  • Catavino coordination and support.

NOT INCLUDED

  • Gratuities;
  • Personal Expenses.

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Portuguese Wine Week Minnesota - Interview with Jason Kallsen

written by minuscode | 13th August 2017

Jason Kallsen is a force of nature in the Twin Cities wine scene with his wine education company Twin Cities Wine Education. Our relationship with Jason goes back many, many years to when he sold wine to Ryan as the Manager of a wine shop in Minnetonka, Minnesota. And despite an overseas move, and a decade in passing, their friendship continued to blossom until 2014 when Ryan brought Jason to the Douro Valley with the help of the IVDP. Jason fell in love with Portugal, so much so that in 2016 he brought a group of wine lovers to the Douro to discover the food and wines that we at Catavino have fallen madly in love with.  So it only made sense that Jason and Ryan cooked up an idea to host a Portuguese Wine Week in Minnnesota to share their appreciation for all things Portuguese. Taking place the week of the 13th of August,...
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