The Porto section of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network has announced the winners of the 2010 ‘Best Of’ wine tourism awards. They are:
Architecture, Parks & Gardens: Quinta do Seixo (http://eng.sograpevinhos.eu/douro)
Located in Valença do Douro in the heart of the Douro winelands, visitors can see traditional vineyards on terraces as well as more modern planting styles. An excellent visitors’ centre explains these dramatic, often breathtaking, methods of production, with excellent wine tasting opportunities.
Quinta do Seixo was the 2010 international winner from Porto
Wine Tourism Services: Winelands of Portugal/Douro by DOC DMC Services Events & Wine (http://www.doc-dmc.com/index_ingles.htm)
DOC DMC is a wine services company that has produced a series of booklets about Portuguese wine districts (Winelands of Portugal). In the booklet devoted to the Douro region, information is provided to guide the tourist to wineries, hotels and restaurants, with vouchers that can be used at these places.
Wine Tourism Restaurants: Castas e Pratos (http://www.castasepratos.com)
Located in a railway warehouse in Peso da Régua, in the heart of the Douro Valley, Castas e Pratos (Grape Varieties and Dishes) is an innovative restaurant combining history and modern cuisine. It has a main restaurant and a wine bar with different menus as well as a wine/gift shop. Wine tastings and other events can be organized here.
Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices: Quinta de Baseira & Quinta do Freixo (http://www.tintobom.com)
The Baseira and Freixo vineyards are located on the right bank of the Tâmega river near Amarante, producing wines using 100% organic methods in the vineyards, certified by SOCERT Portugal. Visitors are offered a tour of the vineyards, the winery, and the wine museum. Tastings are possible.
Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences: Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo Lda. (http://www.quintanova.com)
This 120 hectare estate has everything for the wine tourist: a rural hotel with 11 rooms overlooking the Douro vineyards, a wine house and museum located inside the Pinhão railway station, the possibility of participating in the grape harvest, walking paths through the vineyards, an olive mill, a restaurant and many other activities.
The awards are an initiative of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network (http://www.greatwinecapitals.com), made up of nine global cities – Bilbao/Rioja, Bordeaux, Cape Town, Christchurch/South Island, Florence, Mainz/Rheinhessen, Mendoza, Porto and San Francisco/Napa – located in or near world-renowned wine regions.
The city of Porto is represented in this network by Porto City Council (00 351 222 090 410).
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