Wine nostalgia in the Douro Valley and guesthouse Morphosis
In the Portuguese wine region Douro, Good Travel host Patricia invites her guests of the “Morphosis” to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life for a few days. Our author Ina visited them – and found a little bit of home.
Sometimes you only realise how much you have missed something when you unexpectedly find it again. Your favourite pale blue scarf that hangs melancholically on your friends' coat rack for months after a games night. The rosy-smelling soap that is shyly hidden between glossy tubes in the bathroom cupboard. The lost, sharp kitchen knife that one day unexpectedly turns up in the shed. Or, as in my case recently: rolling vineyards.
I feel like I spent most of my school years on bus rides through vineyards. From the Hunsrück, we went down the serpentines into the Moselle valley, over the bridge, following the river, then steeply up the mountain into the Eifel, where my high school was. During the autumn holidays, my family regularly drove to Freiburg to help our relatives with the grape harvest. And when I was studying in Mainz, my train journeys along the Rhine would certainly have been more productive - if my gaze hadn't always been dreamily caught up in the symmetrical lines of the vineyards. So it's no wonder that a wave of nostalgia washes over me when the Douro Valley in northern Portugal opens up before me in all its glory.
Vineyards in Portugal: agriculture, culture, aesthetics and art in one area
My brakes, overheated from the steeply sloping roads, are just an excuse to keep pulling over to the right. To stop, marvel, take photos and secretly swallow my flaring homesickness. Vineyards like these are living proof to me that agriculture, culture, aesthetics and art fit together in one area. In Germany we call this a cultural landscape - in Portuguese: Paisagem Cultural. And there is no doubt that real masters were at work here in the Douro region. Like artists, generations of winegrowers have created lovely contours with each vine, brushstroke by brushstroke. Where there would otherwise be forest, scrubby bushes, dry grass and burnt earth, the leaves of the vines now shine in lush green in summer. Above them the sun and the blue sky compete for glory.
I make my way down into the valley at a snail's pace. I cross the bridge in Pinhão before dragging my mobile home up the mountain to Celeirós do Douro. In the tiny village I meet Good Travel host Patricia from Morphosis. With her three Douro-style holiday apartments, she has created a small refuge for contemplation. She bought the house in 2018 and then restored it. Neutral tones, slate colors, lots of wood and loving details create a cozy atmosphere in which you can let the impressions of the day sink in.
“Contact with the vines gives me a peace that I cannot find anywhere else”
After a warm welcome, we drive together to one of Patricia's vineyards. "The large quintas that you see everywhere here only make up a part of the wine-growing industry. Around 80 percent of wine producers do not live on glamorous vineyards. They live in small villages and only have about one hectare of land on which they grow wine," explains Patricia. She herself grew up in Porto, which is about an hour away from Celeirós de Douro. "My grandfather always celebrated wine as something wonderful. For him, it was the elixir for celebrating life together with others. After school, I studied viticulture and then worked for a wine producer in the region. Contact with the vines gives me a peace that I cannot find anywhere else," says Patricia. The pretty Portuguese woman with thick, wavy dark hair and fairy-like, turquoise-blue eyes could be a social media star with her passion and authenticity. But she doesn't want to. Her life revolves around wine and vines. She works behind the scenes, tends and cares for her vineyards and lives in the moment. She lovingly lets her gaze glide over her charges. And instead of smiling for the camera, she gives me four precious hours of her life.
Patricia has put down new roots in the Douro region
The year 2012 changed everything for Patricia. "First I lost my job in the wake of the economic crisis, and three months later my grandfather died. Without my work in winemaking and without him, I felt as if someone had deleted my DNA or erased my fingerprints," she says. I know exactly what she means by that. Our souls are moving a little closer together and warming each other in the summer sun. "When I bought my vineyards in 2017, I put down new roots. When I came here, I immediately felt a connection. And this connection manifested itself when I found out that the father and grandfather of my previous owners had the same name as my father and grandfather: Alfredo. This was the right place for me," she remembers. Her vineyards have grounded and changed her - hence the name of her brand: Morphosis. A morphosis is a change that is not hereditary, but caused by external influences. Unlike many traditional winegrowers here, Patricia did not inherit her land. She bought it – and thereby brought about the change she needed for herself and her life.
Douro magic: a picnic in the middle of the vineyard
Four different grape varieties grow in Patricia's vineyards; the vines were planted half a century ago. Because the slopes are so steep and narrow, everything is done by hand. The fact that her vines are no longer as productive as the youngsters on the slopes opposite doesn't bother her. "It's like with people. They don't get more productive with age - but they do get wiser and more complex," she says with a smile. I can also taste a bit of wisdom and a wonderful complexity in her wine, which I taste in the vineyard that evening. Patricia has conjured up a wonderful picnic for me in the place where she rediscovered her roots. And I sit here for a long time, reflecting on our encounter.
Ina's five final tips for a short break in the Douro region
- The Douro area around Patricia's holiday apartments is best reached and explored by car, as the mountains here are sometimes very steep.
- If you want to stock up on food beforehand, the best place to do so is in Vila Real.
- A holiday in Patricia's apartments can be perfectly combined with a city trip to Porto, which is only an hour's drive away.
- If you would like to eat out, you should make a reservation in advance if possible.
- If, like me, you like to start your day with a Galão – a Portuguese latte – the small “Café Central” is just 120 meters around the corner from Morphosis.
© Photos: Morphosis, IMAGO / Panthermedia, Ina Hiester
Ina Hiester
Ina is a digital nomad and travels through Europe by land and sea. The journalist is always on the lookout for special places for Good Travel, philosophizes about travel in her column, takes photographs, makes music and writes articles on all kinds of environmental and sustainability topics.
Georg
Very nice, personal, and informative article. And we enjoyed your vine very much. Thanks.