FACTORY TOUR AND LUNCH

Half an hour later we drove down the back side of the steep hill (I’m not sure which way was worse). Safely at home base, we toured the distillery. This was not your standard 30-minute wine tour – instead, we sampled wines during the different stages of the fermenting process. We skipped the formal wine tasting at the end, because we enjoyed those same bottles over an authentic Portuguese lunch at the hotel restaurant. The food was made fresh from local ingredients (sorry, no pictures -- my camera battery died), but trust me: It was delicious. Hotel Rural Burmester, Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, 5085-222 Covas do Douro, Pinhão, Portugal; tel.: 351-254-730-430.