Vilarinho dos Freires

On the high slopes between Peso da Régua and Pinhão, the parish of Vilarinho dos Freires keeps its name from the friars and knights who held this land in the Middle Ages: a commandery of the Order of the Hospital, whose cross still stands in the parish’s arms above the terraced vineyards of the demarcated Douro.

The knights’ land on the terraces

The parish’s terraces belong to the old vine country of the Douro, and the granite pillars of the old demarcation — seven of them listed in the parish — stand among the socalcos as they have since the eighteenth century. The church of Our Lady of the Snows anchors the village, and quintas on the slopes open their cellars to visitors for tastings of the region’s whites and reds. The parish’s wine story reaches back before the demarcation itself, with vineyard names that recall medieval farms.

Between Régua and Pinhão

The road down either side of the parish runs to the river: Régua, the demarcated region’s capital with its Museu do Douro, lies west, and the famous quay of Pinhão east. The train on the Douro line passes below the terraces, and the Douro Valley‘s finest viewpoints open along the ridge roads. Between them, the parish’s lanes keep the granite houses of the wine families and the long staircases of the socalcos.

What to see

• The centenarian terraces and their retaining walls
• The granite demarcation pillars listed in the parish
• The church of Our Lady of the Snows
• The quintas with white and red wine tastings
• The ridge roads over the Douro between Régua and Pinhão

Practical information

Vilarinho dos Freires lies in the Peso da Régua municipality, in the Vila Real district, on the high road between Régua and Pinhão. Tastings are best arranged ahead: wear good shoes for the terraces, and check the official websites before setting out.

Image credit: Vilarinho dos Freires – Portugal by Vitor Oliveira — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.