The Australian ship cruising one of Europe’s most spectacular waterways

Red or white, ruby or rose, orange or amber – I thought I was familiar with the full colour wheel of wines, until I found myself nose-to-glass with a green wine.

“It’s not named for the colour of the wine,” says our guide, Ana Azevedo, tilting a glass of Aveleda’s vinho verde 2023 Alvarinho toward the light, “but for the lush, verdant landscape of the region.”

Having envisioned a lime-cordial-coloured concoction, I file this information away under “things I should have researched before visiting the Douro”.

On the river in the cappuccino-coloured MS Estrela.

It’s the second-to-last port on our nine-day Douro Delights tour aboard APT’s newest river cruise ship, the MS Estrela, when we step ashore at the riverside village of Entre-os-Rios. Some passengers explore the region’s medieval heritage, but the allure of green wine beckons like the Emerald City in the Land of Oz.

A short coach trip brings us to Quinta da Aveleda, where the fluorescent pastures, the olive hues of the vineyards and the moss-green ivy-clad buildings blend seamlessly, as though we’re viewing the world through jade-tinted glasses.

Inside the estate’s cavernous tasting room we learn that vinho verde (“green wine” in Portuguese) is not a grape or a blend, but a DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or Controlled Designation of Origin) region in the north-west of the country. “Green wine also means young and fresh,” says Ana.

Two sips of the Alvarinho and I’m claiming it as my new favourite summer drink, while mentally calculating how much it will cost to ship a dozen bottles home.

The strength of this APT itinerary – from Madrid to Porto – lies in its ability to highlight the Douro River’s rich and varied character. Yes, we’ll sample some of the region’s finest fortifieds, as well as culture, cuisine, history and landscapes. And of course, green wine.

We begin our nine-day tour with an overnight hotel stay in the Spanish capital, before heading west by coach to the university city of Salamanca. An included walking tour of the UNESCO World Heritage city shows off Salamanca’s stunning architecture, but it’s the free time that reveals the finer details; a hole-in-the-wall bakery selling still-warm almond cookies, tapas bars filled with laughter and conversation, and an impromptu street parade by lab coat-clad students from the medical faculty, a joyful reminder of the city’s youthful spirit.

At Vega de Terron on the Spanish/Portuguese border we catch our first glimpse of the MS Estrela; a new ship for a new era of cruising one of Europe’s most spectacular, though lesser-visited, waterways. Purpose-built to navigate the Douro River, the 114-passenger Estrela was launched in August 2024.

Breaking with tradition, the exterior of the ship is an elegant cappuccino colour, the decor is chic and contemporary, and the Sun Deck boasts one of the largest pools on the Douro. The abundance of alfresco areas is a testament to the Australian-owned APT Travel Group’s understanding of the value Australian travellers place on an outdoor lifestyle.

The Douro Valley wine country.Credit: Getty Images

I’m staying in one of the 46 French Balcony suites (there are also nine smaller Window Staterooms and two Owner’s suites) where a wall-to-wall electric window slides down half-way to create a “French-style” balcony. This clever design blurs the lines between outside and in, delivering open-air views without compromising on space. There are two small armchairs, a flat-screen TV, ample storage, mini-fridge, desk and dressing table.

In keeping with the relaxed mood, the pace is delightfully unhurried – 208 kilometres over seven nights – and we cruise only during daylight hours due to the Douro’s narrow sections. The real advantage? We won’t miss any of the scenery along the way.

From our chairs on the Sun Deck, we trace the shifting landscape, where terraced hillsides give way to rocky cliffs, the lichen-encrusted walls looming closer as we inch through narrow gorges and negotiate hairpin bends. One morning we enter the Carrapatelo lock – the highest rise in Europe at 35 metres and one of the most dramatic – where a curved iron gate lifts like a fortress door from Game of Thrones.

The Sun Deck and pool - the biggest on the Douro.

Everything is of cinematic proportions: historic manor houses rise majestically on hilltops, vines cling to slopes as if defying gravity, churches reach for the heavens. And then, as if the director calls for a close-up, cue the zooming-in on people tending vineyards, children waving, smoke curling from the chimneys of storybook cottages.

A two-night port stop in Regua in the heart of the wine region sharpens the focus even further. By combining the luxury of an extended stay with APT’s inclusive Freedom of Choice excursions, guests can customise their holiday to suit their interests. Before you can say “1970s dinner party”, I sign up for the excursion to Mateus Castle in favour of a tour of the village of Lamego.

Afterwards, both groups meet for lunch and a tasting at the renowned Quinta da Pacheca for the first of two Signature Experiences, the second a cocktail reception and traditional fado performance in Porto’s Palacio da Bolsa.

In Quinta da Pacheca’s barrel room, savouring a Pacheca Reserva Vinhas Velhas red 2021 Douro DOC, I have a revelation – port reigns as the undeniable king of the Douro valley, but the region’s exceptional table wines, produced predominantly from blends of indigenous grape varieties, are slowly carving out their own kingdom.

One course of many on board.

“Every wine produced in the Douro Valley is shaped by tradition and terroir,” says wine guide Hugo Amaral as we progress through the tastings. “That’s what makes the Douro so special.” The Douro, he explains, is one the world’s oldest demarcated wine regions, dating from 1754.

At Pinhao Railway station we delve deeper into the history of port, beautifully narrated through a series of 24 panels of exquisite azulejos – traditional blue, white and yellow ceramic tiles. These hand-painted masterpieces tell the story from the formation of the terraces to handpicking grapes, to the crushing by foot and the historic equipment used. The 3024 hand-painted tiles were applied in 1937, turning the 19th-century whistle-stop into one of the most beautiful railway stations in Portugal.

As we cruise towards Entre-os-Rios, I imagine life along the river in the 18th century, when small wooden boats called rabelos transported barrels of port downriver to the cellars of Porto, their hard crew sustaining themselves with salted cod.

For APT guests, though, there is a moveable feast of the valley’s fresh produce: plump olives, glistening with oil or baked into bread; Portuguese tarts, with flaky crusts and creamy custard fillings; citrus fruit ranging in colour from deep orange to blushing pink.

Inside a French Balcony suite.

Meals are a mix of Portuguese, Mediterranean and international flavours, with each menu – whether a five-course degustation or a casual buffet – paired with recommended wines from the Douro region. Seafood is fresh and local, picked up from fish markets along the way, with chef Andrei Tirca tweaking the menus to exploit the day’s catch.

A cooking lesson in Porto is a fitting end to our food-focused journey. “The plan is simple; stay relaxed, taste as we go and drink some green wine,” announces chef Vitor Candido from the Cook in Ribeira cooking school. In the kitchen of an 18th-century building, Candido shares his secret to the perfect garlic prawns – “lots of butter and a squeeze of prawn heads”.

We fry eggs in olive oil to make bacalhaus a bras, Portugal’s beloved dish of codfish, and toast almonds for tarte de amandoa. It’s all delightfully messy and joyfully chaotic, fuelled by the steady flow of vinho verde. “It’s such a light and refreshing drink, we call it swimming pool wine,” says Candido, adding the final chapter to my Douro wine education.

THE DETAILS

CRUISE
APT’s nine-day Douro Delights tour from Madrid to Porto (also operates in reverse) costs from $7095 a person (excluding flights). Included are one night’s land accommodation, seven nights onboard the MS Estrela, all meals, a wide range of onboard beverages, Wi-Fi, tours, Freedom of Choice experiences and Signature Experiences. See aptouring.com

FLY
Etihad Airways operates daily flights from Australia, connecting through Abu Dhabi to Madrid and other European cities. See etihad.com

The writer was a guest of APT Touring