Visit and tasting at Quinta do Bomfim, in Pinhão

What it is

Quinta do Bomfim is the Symington family estate in Pinhão, in the very heart of the Douro valley, and the home of Dow's ports. It stands on the riverbank, a short walk from Pinhão railway station, which makes it the easiest quinta to visit without a car. It opens to the public its old winery, with its stone lagares, and organises tastings of ports and Douro wines with the terraced vineyards in front of you.

What the visit includes

All visits go through the old winery and end with a tasting. The quinta offers several, depending on what you want to try:

• Classic Tasting: three ports from Dow's, Graham's and Cockburn's.
• Dow's Tasting: an LBV, a 30-year-old tawny and a 1994 vintage from Dow's.
• Douro DOC Tasting: four still Douro wines from the Symington family.
• Quinta Vintage Port Tasting: three single-quinta vintage ports from Dow's, Warre's and Graham's.
• Premium Tasting: Dow's 40-year-old tawny, Graham's 1997 Single Harvest and the 1994 Dow's and 2000 Graham's vintages.
• The Specialist Tasting: a selection of top-range ports and Douro wines.

You can also walk through the vineyards on your own: you are given a hat, a map and a bottle of water, and for €2 more a glass of Altano white. There is also an afternoon snack on the terrace, the Merenda na Vinha, with Douro dishes, a bottle of Altano white and a glass of Dow's port. The quinta's restaurant, Bomfim 1896, serves traditional Douro cooking beside the river.

Hours and closures

• 1 March to 31 October: 10:00 to 19:00, with the last visit at 17:30.
• 1 November to 28 February: 9:30 to 18:30, with the last visit at 17:00.

It closes on 25 December and 1 January, and also on 4 July for staff training.

Price and booking

You book on the Symington website, which shows the price of each tasting when you choose it; it does not publish the rate on its visits page. For reference, on resale platforms the tastings appear from about €55 to about €175 per person, depending on the tasting. Book ahead in September and October, during the harvest, when places sell out sooner.

How long to allow

An hour and a half for the winery visit and one tasting. If you add the vineyard walk or a meal at the restaurant, half a day.

Getting there

By train, the quinta is a few minutes' walk from Pinhão station: it is the most convenient way from Porto, using the Douro train to Pinhão. Check CP's timetables, because since November 2026 part of the route between Porto and Régua is done by bus. By car, Pinhão is about 25 km from Régua on the N222 road beside the river.

With children

It is a visit for adults: minors can come along, but do not taste the wine. The vineyard walk, however, may appeal to them; in summer, bring sun protection, because the terraces have no shade.