grouchyzero

Hello! We are three women staying at Casa do Visconde de Chanceleiros in June. We are trying to decide between using Vintage Boat Tours or Anima Durius for the day while we are there. We are looking to do a combo of winery tastings and a boat trip. Vintage does an hour boat trip w cold lunch and two winery visits while Anima does a visit to their private family winery with lunch and a longer boat trip. Anima is much more pricy. Does anyone have any experience with either company? Thanks in advance!

Maribel

I've only had experience with the Anima Durius sailboat and not Douro Vintage Boat Tours so have no basis of comparison. But working with Paulo of Anima Durius was a pleasure. The experience of having a private sail on a smaller boat with only 4 passengers, although more costly, felt more special that the 1 or 2 hour cruise on the larger flat bottom rabelo boats that are large enough for groups with the overall experience feeling more touristy.

rialtogrl

Not a tour, but there is a great little Port producer very close to your hotel.. you could even walk there

https://quintadoinfantado.com/

grouchyzero

Thanks for the reply, I didn't know how to respond from my phone bc I'm super tech savvy like that. Yes, all of his reviews are great so it is a wonderfully difficult decision to make. The Vintage Douro boat trip is also private.

grouchyzero

Thanks for that! We will definitely have to check it out. Do you know if any of the wineries have vinho verdes (I know, different area) or white wines or are they all ports? Asking for a friend

Maribel

No, the Douro wineries do not produce vinho verde/alvarinho-that's the Minho region further north (Quinta Soalheiro is a personal favorite) .

Some Douro wineries produce ports exclusively while others produce fortified wines (ports, including a rosé port at Quinta do Tedo and Quinta da Rôeda) and table, DOC wines (reds mostly, but some whites, like Quinta do Crasto's Mirabilis Branco).

Some estates also produce excellent olive oils (Quinta Nova, Quinta do Pégo, Quinta do Vallado, among others). In the village of Casal de Loivos, above Pinhão, where there's a spectacular viewpoint (miradouro), there's a small olive oil mill and museum, D'Origem, open daily.

As to the Vintage Douro boat trip versus the Anima Durius sailboat cruise, I would ask what specific wineries will be visited, if they will be able to tell you in advance.

rialtogrl

If your trip is in mid-June, and if you can adjust your itinerary to include Ponte de Lima there is a Vinho Verde festival there, usually held on the second full weekend of the month. They did not announce dates yet but hopefully its the weekend of June 13/14.

If Braga and Guimarães is in your itinerary, Ponte de Lima is not so far...

Be sure to try white Port! I love the white Port from Quinta do Infantado. Maybe a little bit too much.