VISIT THE DAO WINE REGION IN PORTUGAL
Quinta dos Roques vineyards - Serra da Estrela mountains
Photo source: Winekeller
Suggestions for wine tours, vineyard tours & wine tasting in the Dao wine region:
The Dao region Portugal - an introduction
The Dão wine region, one of Portugal’s oldest, most established wine regions, is in north central Portugal, flanked on the north by Portugals’ famous Douro wine region, the west by Bairrada and on the east, Beira Interior. Dão is also one of Portugal’s most mountainous wine regions.
The Dão has a long wine history (since 1908), but up until the 1990’s it was characterised by several large co-operatives, producing very tannic and pretty boring red wines. This all changed following EU membership when the wine industry relaxed its restrictions and opened its doors to a new wave of independent producers. Dão was only formally recognised as a DOC wine classification in 1990.
Today Dão produces some of Portugals’ finest wines and is known for its elegant, juicy, mineral red wines, with a real sense of character and terroir.
Dão is named after the river that flows through this wine region and its capital, Viseu, is one of the prettiest cities to visit in Portugal. The Centre of Portugal, which describes the land between the two main airport of Lisbon and Porto, is a region steeped in history, with historical villages, castles, welcoming small towns, mouthwatering gastronomy, beautiful nature, impressive scenery, authentic hospitality and tradition.
Typical Dão granite boulders at Quinta Madre de Água
Vineyards at Boas Quintas
The stunning Misericórdia Church in Viseu
Vineyards, olive trees & the Estrela mountains
Dao vineyards Portugal
There are some 20,000 hectares of vineyards in the Dão wine region.
Dao is mainly a granite plateau, with poor sandy, granite soils and huge granite rocks and boulders strewn across the landscape are a common sight. The climate is strongly influenced by two mountain ranges, the Serra do Caramulo in the west, protecting Dão from the Atlantic and Serra da Estrela in the south-east. Summers are warm and dry and winters, cold and wet. The vineyards are scattered at an altitude of 200m up to 1000m, on the soft rolling plains in the mountain foothills and amongst pine and eucalyptus forests.
Dao wines Portugal
Consistent across Portugal, many different indigenous grape varieties are grown in Dão. Approximately 80% of Portuguese Dão wines are red and Dão is the home of Touriga Nacional, the principal grape variety for Port wine. Tinta Roriz (tempranillo), Jaen (mencía), and Alfrocheiro are also widely planted red grape varieties in Dão.
The predominant white grape variety in Dão is Encruzado, rapidly gaining a reputation for being Portugal’s finest white grape varietal.
Modern Dão wines are fresh and characterful and the reds, juicy, with good acidity - but less tannic than earlier Dão wines. Dão wines are also known for their good ageing potential. Some of the top wineries experiment with single varietal wines but as across Portugal, blends feature predominantly.
Touriga nacional grape
Encruzado grape
Recommended Dao wineries:
The biggest wine producer in Dão is Sogrape with its Quinta dos Carvalhais estate,which produces several million litres of wine each year. Sogrape is also the largest Portuguese wine producer. There are many other excellent wine producers which you can visit and where you can arrange Dão wine tastings.
Planning a wine tour in Portugal’s Dao region
Dão isn’t the obvious region to explore when visiting Portugal as it tends to be overshadowed by the more well-known names of Douro Valley, Algarve and Vinho Verde, however it really is worth taking a few days to discover!
You need a car to explore Dão and the best airport to fly into is Porto. Drive through the beautiful rolling hills and countryside, the forests and the mountains, the vineyards and the pretty towns and villages in Dão. It’s very rural and peaceful - the perfect place to unwind and experience the REAL Portugal - not the one which is manufactured for tourists!
Many Dão wine estates are part of the ‘Dão Wine Route’ - a tourism initiative to promote the Dão wine region and Dão wines.
Visit the beautiful city of Viseu
Viseu, the capital of Dão, is definitely worth a visit. Browse through the lovely streets of the preserved historic city centre and visit the stunning, twin-towered, 13th century cathedral, at the highest point of the city. Just opposite, visit the equally impressive Misericórdia Church and next to it the Grão Vasco Museum.
Visit Coimbra - and its university
Coimbra is the former capital of Portugal and home to the oldest university in Portugal - one of the oldest in all of Europe - and today a Unesco World Heritage Site. ‘The city of students’ is a magical place to visit and explore and is situated just outside of Dão, on the border with Portugal’s Bairrada wine region. As well as the 13th century university and its famous library, there’s lots of places to visit in Coimbra, so make sure it’s on your list!
Spend time in the enchanting Buçaco National Forest
On the western edge of Dão is one of the most beautiful forests in all of Portugal, famed for its exotic trees, notably Buçaco cypresses and its tranquillity and refreshing climate. The Buçaco National Forest (Bussaco in English) is also home to a fabulous hotel, the Bussaco Palace Hotel, extravagantly designed as a showcase to the region’s wine - well worth a visit from an architecture perspective, as well as its old wine list and the opportunity to wander through the beautiful forest.
Historic Coimbra and its famous University
The beautiful Bussaco Palace Hotel, Bussaco National Forest
Explore the Serra da Estrela national park
The Serra da Estrela is Portugal’s largest mountain range, with the highest peak Torre, reaching nearly 2000m. It acts as the natural barrier between northern and southern Portugal and displays a mix of Mediterranean, Atlantic and Continental influences.
The national park extends some 100,000 hectares, with beautiful meadows, lagoons and valleys to explore. Sheep rearing and the production of wonderful local cheeses are vital to the economy here, look out also for the fabulous mountain dogs who guard the sheep!
Where to stay in the Dao wine region
Check out here for accommodation, but for something more traditional and authentic, try to look for rural hotels in your search or turismo rural Portugal or agriturismo Portugal.
Traditional dishes to accompany the Dao wines
The traditional food in Dão is rich and robust - like its wines! Look out for rich roast veal, goat and lamb dishes, cooked in local olive oil. It is also the land of plenty in terms of vegetables and fruit. Other local specialities include grilled codfish and octopus salad.
Dão is probably most famous for its queijo da Serra cheese - a creamy ewe’s milk cheese made from the sheep grazing in the Serra da Estrela mountain pastures.
For more information about visiting Portugal’s Dão region, visit Portugal Travel Guide and Visit Portugal.
Also visit ‘Centre of Portugal’
Sheep grazing at Quinta Madre de Água - Serra da Estrela
Octopus salad and Encruzado!
We get off the beaten track and visit Dão capital Viseu with its historic treasures, sample some of the best Dão wines in Portugal - and gastronomy - and enjoy what has to be one of the best gardens in Portugal!