Among the various estates in the Douro Wine Region, Quinta da Pacheca is one of the most emblematic. Among the reasons for its status are its history, its role in the region and, of course, the famous rooms in the form of wine barrels.
With about 75 hectares in the Douro Demarcated Region, Quinta da Pacheca is a good chance for those looking to enjoy some kind of wine tourism activities, such as guided tours, wine tastings, picnics, or even courses.
In our case, we opted for the guided tour to the wineries with wine tasting at the end. The total experience lasts about an hour and costs 20€, with visit and wine tasting, or 28€ if you also opt for the cheese board. We always advise you to purchase these experiences on the website in advance, to avoid being sold out. Tickets for all experiences can be purchased here.
The tour starts in a main atrium between the hotel, the wine store and the vineyards. Looking to the horizon is from here you will have the closest view of the famous barrel-shaped rooms, called Wine Barrels, a set of about ten double suites shaped like wine barrels.
Besides the breathtaking landscape under the vineyards, these rooms are also farther away from the rest of the farm's activities, providing moments of privacy and rest.
Quinta da Pacheca covers a total area of 75 hectares
From here we go to Ateliê D'or, a space dedicated to art, taking several forms, be it sculpture on old vine stocks, painting with the use of wine, or any other kind of art that somehow involves the vine and wine production in its materials.
It is also in this area that the emblematic farm car, a white Johnson Phantom, is located.
The tour continues through the vineyards where the different existing varieties are explained and what this implies for the production of wine. During this process, the guide will identify the different areas of the vineyard according to their age and the type of wine produced.
Afterwards, we move on to the area where the wine is crushed, and the process and the difference between the wine crushed mechanically and the wine crushed by human hands are explained.
From here we continue towards the famous cellars, where we find one of the most emblematic scenarios of the Douro Wine Region's cellars: the rooms full of barrels with the different identifications, sizes and associated stories. From the most common wine to the rarest wine bottled only in specific situations. This part is the true essence of the visit!
Once the visit to the cellars is over, we return to the wine store, where we begin the tasting of four different types of wine. In this case we have to praise the fact that they didn't give the cheapest wines to taste, giving four different types of wine from four different ranges, listing their qualities and main consumption occasions.
At the end of the visit we were left with a good feeling: the tour went well, the guide was friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the subject, always ready to answer questions and add a curiosity, and the scenery is magical. We can't compare it to other wineries in the region because we didn't have the opportunity to visit them, but Quinta da Pacheca is an option to consider when visiting the region.
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Douro Region
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