CAMBRES, PORTUGAL — I knew cruising through the Douro Valley would give me a healthy dose of exposure to port, since I’m traveling through the birthplace of the wine.
But until now, I haven’t cared much for it, after first trying it a few years ago in Iceland with a friend, who is traveling with me on this cruise. We both agreed then that the port wasn’t for us — the one we had with our tasting menu in Reykjavik was too syrupy for our taste and ended our six-course meal on a bad note. But we came to Portugal eager to give the fortified wine a fair shake.
A view of rows of grapes at Quinta da Pacheca. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
Just three days into my cruise onboard the new Riviera Rose with Riviera Travel, I now consider myself a port convert, thanks to an evening spent at Quinta de Pacheca, a vineyard that dates back to the 1600s.
The vineyard, which also features a hotel where guests can stay in suites housed in giant wine barrels, bears the feminine form of the family name Pacheco, since it was owned in the 1700s by a woman named Da. Mariana Pacheco Pereira.
The passengers of the Rose arrived to Quinta de Pacheca before sunset at golden hour, when the light was soft and warm. I can only describe the vineyard as peaceful, where time seemed to slow in the Douro Valley.
We were immediately greeted in the barrel room with a white port and from the first sip, I was a fan, even though I don’t typically reach for white wines. It was sweet and refreshing, especially on such a hot day.
The barrel room at Quinta da Pacheca. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
From there, we were ushered into a venue to enjoy our three-course dinner, complete with wine pairings.
We indulged in smoked ham and brie topped with seeds and fig jam, served with the Pacheca Superior White; followed by a fork-tender pork cheek atop creamy mashed potatoes with the excellent Pacheca Superior Red; and finally, a port wine tart with red fruit sorbet alongside a tawny port and a ruby port. The food was rich, but the wines — and port — stood out.
The sun sets on Quinta de Pacheca. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
The tawny port had a pleasant caramel taste, while the ruby port offered a rich and black-fruit flavor. None of that overly syrupy, cloying flavor I remembered from my previous experience with port.
Afterward, pleasantly buzzing from the seemingly endless pours of wine, my friend and I sat on the vineyard’s patio, enjoying the quiet and cool darkness of the Portuguese countryside.
Dining and Cooking