REGION

"It's not a landscape that the eyes contemplate: it's an excess of nature. A geological poem. Absolute beauty"

Miguel Torga in DIÁRIO “XII

Casa do Lobo à Serra is located in Sedielos, a parish in the municipality of Peso da Régua (14 km / 20 minutes) on the border with the municipality of Mesão Frio (7 km / 10 minutes), towns that occupy the right bank of the Douro River at the beginning of the so-called Douro Demarcated Region (RDD). This region, recognised for its wines – Port (DO), Douro (DO) and Regionais Durienses (IG) – it stretches along the Douro river valley for around 120 km from Mesão Frio to Freixo-de-Espada-à-Cinta. It is the oldest demarcated and regulated wine-growing region in the world, dating back to 1756, and currently covers 250,000 ha, of which only 48,000 ha are used for wine production.

Depending on its climatic and morphological characteristics, the RDD is subdivided into three sub-regions: Baixo Corgo (roughly from Mesão Frio to Covelinhas and Armamar), Cima Corgo (up to São João da Pesqueira) and Douro Superior (from Ferradosa to Barca d’Alva and Freixo-de-Espada-à-Cinta).

Casa do Lobo à Serra is located in the Baixo Corgo where, unlike the Douro Superior, the temperatures are milder and it rains more. Due to the higher rainfall and less difficulty in creating deeper soils, among other factors, this sub-region is more fertile and is therefore the one where vineyards are most important, occupying around a third of its area.

The Alto Douro Wine Region, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001, makes up just 10 per cent of the vast Douro Valley, with an area of 24,600 hectares spread over the slopes of the Douro River and its tributaries Corgo, Varosa, Távora, Torto and Pinhão. It was honoured for perfectly representing the landscape beauty of the Douro.

Also noteworthy, due to its proximity to the RDD, is the Beira Douro Region, which is located on the geographical limits of the RDD and includes the municipalities of Tarouca, Moimenta da Beira, Sernancelhe and Penedono, as well as part of the municipalities of Lamego, Armamar, Tabuaço and S. João da Pesqueira. This region is home to one of Portugal’s newest wine regions, the Távora-Varosa Demarcated Region.
Today, as in the past, the geographical situation and the climate are an asset in the Douro, characterised by its lacy landscape, where the terraced vineyards draw real canvases to which one cannot remain indifferent, awakening a panoply of unique emotions that are appreciated whatever the season.
It is the combination of these factors and the work of man that results in the fantastic Douro and Port wines, and the Douro Regional wines. But this region is not all about wine, as its valleys are also favourable for growing olive trees, almond trees and other fruit species, especially apple, orange, cherry and peach trees.

There are many places of interest in this vast region, so we have chosen to highlight those in the municipalities covered by the Alto Douro Vinhateiro, with special emphasis on those closest to Casa do Lobo à Serra.

mapa região duriense e porto
PLACES OF INTEREST
ROUTES
ACTIVITIES OF INTEREST

Activities of interest

Several tourist agencies operate out of the municipality of Peso da Régua, offering a wide range of programmes that allow you to enjoy unforgettable experiences in the context of the Douro region:
  • Trips by boat (including Rabelo boats and sailing boats), aeroplane, train, jeep or horse;
  • Visits to estates with wine tastings;
  • Cruises;
  • Gastronomic and vintage experiences;
  • Wine tasting workshops;
  • Aquatic experiences (kayak, skis towed by motorboat).