Porto Day Tour of Duoro Valley Wine Region

I enjoyed the tour with Cooltours Oporto and recommend it. We went to Quinta Jallota (non-Port wines) and Quinta Marrocos (Port wines). We also tasted their olive oil, honey, and jams. I liked that it was a small group limited to 8, and that the quintas visited are smaller family-run and not totally mechanized. At Jallota, our tour hosts were family members and at Marrocos it was a young woman whose family worked there and growing up she had done many of the farm jobs herself before learning 5 languages and training to be a guide. They still do some hand harvesting, stomp grapes, and on-site bottling. Thus the port wine process we learned about was not simply the same as what is covered in the cellar tours of the big producers in Vila Nova de Gaia.

In choosing, some reviews I read of other tours complained about the restaurants chosen for lunch -- I believe eveyone was satisfied with our lunch spot in the small town of Tabuaco. Before booking, when I emailed Cootours with some questions, I received an immediate response and assistance whereas two other tour operators I contacted took many days to respond. The boat ride was 10 euro extra on the tour I took I found the boat ride a bit boring but pleasant and restful. I don't think there would be anything much to do for the hour, if you didn't go on the boat.

In the end, I think many of the tours are pretty similar so it may not make much difference which you choose. Initially, I tried to find ones that went to quintas listed in RS but that didn't work out.

We did a wonderful 7 night Douro Valley cruise. Visited lots of wineries.

Can you find one that goes to Regua?

Thank you for the great description of your day tour! Can't wait!

We booked this Douro Valley day tour from Porto through AirBnB back in April, and it was absolutely wonderful. It was one the best days we had in Portugal. We visited two wineries, had a private cruise on the Douro River, and ate a wonderful lunch. Everything was included and it was led by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. It was a small group of seven people, and we learned so much about the region and tasted some incredible wines. I highly recommend this day tour!

I will second Elizabeth's post. My wife and I did the same tour at the beginning of June. We can't speak more highly of it. It was two small groups of 7 people. Our group had 4 Rick Steves people! The groups were only together at the first winery. As Elizabeth mentioned, the tour visited 2 wineries, included a private cruise, and lunch at one of the wineries.

The first winery was a bigger operation but I believe still family-owned. We toured the facilities and tasted 3 or 4 wine, all of which were good. We ended up purchasing one of their nicer reds. There was no hard sell or much of a soft sell either. We then did the boat tour enjoying the view while trying some great homemade snacks/appetizers and a Port Tonic. I'd recommend sunscreen, sunglasses and possibly a hat. It was HOT when we went :D.

For us, the highlight of the tour was lunch at the second winery. It was cooked by the family and paired with their amazing wine. Some of the best food and wine of our trip. By this point, everyone was relaxed and the conversation was flowing, which Ricardo our guide was good at facilitating.

Thank you so much for the Air Bnb suggestion. I contacted our host and they recommended as well! Booked it and looking forward to it! If any of you have done small group wine tour out of San Sebastian I am looking for that as well. Going to be a month between Spain and Portugal, can't wait.