From past to future in the Douro
Photo credit: “The Douro Valley” by mat’s eye is licensed under CC BY 2.0
One of the world’s oldest demarcated wine regions, The Douro’s indigenous grapes were used almost exclusively for Port until the 1990s, when the region began making still wines from the same grape varieties – Touriga Naçional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cao and Tinta Barroca – that are now winning an international reputation for high quality.
The river itself was once a treacherous route for brave souls to float Port barrels down to the coast at Vila Nova de Gaia, where the cooler conditions better suited the ageing process. Dammed in the 1970s, the Douro’s primary purpose these days is for pleasure boats, but it still flows fast, with a furious sense of drama, easily captured by taking a seat on the regular passenger train service that follows its course.
Relatively inaccessible for years, the valley suffered economically in the post-war years as Port sales declined and younger people moved to the cities, or overseas, in search of work. Tourism was slow to exploit its natural beauty, so – perversely – today’s traveller benefits from an industry that’s evolved relatively recently, in a world that’s woken up to the damage the mass market can do to nature’s wonder.
Photo Credit: Six Senses
The rise of tourism
Much of the enlightened change has been driven by the Port barons themselves, with long family histories in the region, who have seized on the potential of tourism, and the allure of authenticity to the modern visitor, to create a subtle sideline in high-end hospitality, coupled with genuinely engaging visitor experiences, that have helped fuelled the re-birth of their businesses.
A few sage investors have also spotted the potential here; luxury hotels and fine dining might have seemed unthinkable in the Douro Valley a decade or so ago, but not any more.
The Six Senses luxury wine hotel
Treats for you at Six Senses Douro
Photo Credit: Six Senses
Should you wish, you can order an integrated wellness assessment on arrival, from one of a small team of specialists that include Nick’s lovely wife Lisa. Using non-invasive tests focused on fingers and toes, she can tell you how healthy you are, producing a detailed report and a series of sensitively presented recommendations for your stay that cover diet and activity.
There are also a range of classes, from meditation to Yoga and Pilates provided in the hotel’s gleaming spa complex, which also includes a gym, steam room, sauna, a big indoor lap pool and a bracing outdoor infinity pool with an awe-inspiring view straight down the Douro Valley.
Veggies will be happyfor their stay, eating in the outdoor ‘Terroir’ restaurant, which offers innovative vegetarian cuisine that is guaranteed to make even the most committed carnivore completely forget about fillet steak. My top tip would be the range of freshly baked flatbreads; I am still dreaming about the curried vegetable version.
Photo Credit: Six Senses
You can learn more about food that can improve your health and wellbeing at Six senses too. The hotel grows a lot of the produce used on the menu in its main garden, with a constant dialogue between the head chef and the sustainability supremo Adaō, who offers an excellent free ‘masterclass’ on home pickling, yoghurt making and tea infusion. And if you’d rather dive straight into the wine, Six Senses offers a very laid-back wine tasting, led by Aniko, one of the hotel’s Sommelier team, sampling some of the Douro’s more unusual white and red wines and some of the less well-known Port brands.
None of the above
Should you wish, you could do none of the above. The Six Senses manages to avoid the shiny floor formality and supercilious ‘up-selling’ service that can afflict other high-end hotels, preferring a less stuffy approach that feels like top-notch ‘shabby chic’. Admirably, the group’s head honchos also insist that a proportion of the hotel’s budget is ring-fenced specifically for sustainability, which encompasses projects on its own land and in nearby communities.
Although it’s hard to leave the hotel, it’s important to explore the nearby valley, walking the vines and taking advantage of the tours and tastings laid on by the Port houses and wine producers in the surrounding towns and countryside.
After a few days in the Douro, I defy even the most cynical person to say they don’t believe it’s worth at least looking for magic.
David Kermode is a writer, broadcaster and wine presenter, with his own website vinosaurus.co.uk
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