From the Douro Valley to the Dão, a journey to the heart of Portuguese vineyards

Founded more than four centuries ago, Taylor's just renovated its 300-year-old cellars, adding a modern, innovative tour exploring its history. You can explore the cellars and go back in time to relive the glorious Golden Age of port. You'll travel through the Douro Valley while learning about the history of Taylor's, the story of its exceptional port wines, and the way they are produced.

Behind its neo-Gothic facade, this superb bookshop is a sheer delight. Lello opened in 1906 at 144 Rua das Carmelitas in the university district, and has been ranked as one of the top three most beautiful bookshops in the world by the British newspaper The Guardian. After leafing though a few volumes, you can enjoy coffee in the light penetrating the vast glass roof. Around the winding staircase are books in several languages and translations of the greatest Portuguese writers. Poetry readings and exhibits are regularly held here. Lello is more than just a bookseller – it is a home for the arts.

The town of Amarante, on the banks of the Tâmega River, initially attracts visitors with its charming atmosphere and striking 17th-century houses with brightly colored wooden balconies. But on the first weekend in June, the entire region gathers along Amarante's cobbled streets for a festival of music and dance to celebrate São Gonçalo (Gundisalvus of Amarante), a 12th-century saint known as the matchmaker, who helps single people find their soulmate.

This immense Art Deco building dating from 1944 is the administrative headquarters of the Douro Region's Winegrowers Association. Take time to admire the five immense chandeliers and the magnificent stained-glass windows by modern artist Lino Antonio telling the story of the winemaking process. Peso da Régua has long been considered the gateway to the vineyards. This is where the isolated inland quintas loaded their wine barrels bound for Porto. The very opulent Casa do Douro is also a powerful reminder that Douro's 111,200 acres of vineyards are divided between some 30,000 winemakers – a multitude of small producers, all creating their own wines.

After years of being underappreciated, the Dão winemaking region is now firmly back on the Portuguese wine map. Surrounded by three mountain ranges–Estrela, Caramulo and Buçaco–this discreet appellation of 1,450 square miles, on a granite plateau at an altitude of over 1,300 feet, has reinvented the way its vines are nurtured. In these quintas, artisanal viticulture is now practiced, favoring indigenous grape varieties (such as Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro and Tinta Roriz red grapes; and the white grape Encruzado). To be enjoyed in moderation.