A tasteful education: 5 historic Portuguese wine estates

A recent river cruise took us up the Rio Douro, the River of Gold in Portugal, starting in Porto and ending in Regua. On this journey through the Douro Valley, we visited ancient and contemporary wine estates, sampling as we went. Here are five of the best, all touting different wine varieties, emerging from the diverse terroirs of the area.

Quinta de Aveleda – Vinho Verde 

This estate vineyard was founded in 1870, and has been owned, for five generations, by the Guedes Family.  It is the largest producer and exporter of Vinho Verde in Portugal, exporting to over 70 countries worldwide. When we visited the Quinta De Aveleda, the environs looked more like a botanical garden than an estate vineyard. With an entry gate dated 1748, and the estate chapel dates even earlier, there were hydrangeas, camellias, old cork trees, noisy peacocks and, oh yes, vineyards.   

After having been surprised by abundant, colorful flora, we did eventually get to…