The Vintage House Hotel, downtown Pinhao Portugal

My favorite first place to stop when I arrive in the town (village really) of Pinhao is the Vintage House Hotel. It is right on the Douro River and is just down the street (there is really only one main street) from the train station, which is especially convenient if you are staying in Porto and are taking the train to Pinhao. For me it is centrally located, has good parking, a good restaurant with a great view, and most importantly an excellent wine shop. The Hotel is owned and run by Croft, which is one of the oldest wine producers in the Douro. Croft is owned by the Taylor’s but there isn’t enough room for a history of the Douro and it’s wine production here. Their wine shop is well stocked with a good variety from the best producers of all the types of Douro wine. Stop in and check them out! After lunch and the first few bottles purchased it is a very easy walk to one of my favorite Quintas in the entire Douro.