LOCATED AT THE HEART OF THE DOURO REGION, IT RECEIVED THE OLDEST CHARTER EVER GRANTED IN PORTUGAL, AND HAS SINCE KEPT GUARD OF HISTORIES OF NOBLES AND COMMON MEN THAT, WITH UNMEASURABLE RESILIENCE, HAVE HELPED TO SHAPE A REGION.
Frei Estevão Viewpoint
For all those that look forward for the tasting of the best wines of the Douro’s DOC – as well as of Port wines, obviously – the centrality and relevance of S. João da Pesqueira within the Demarcated Wine Region (the first-ever in the world) places it in the required visits’ list, particularly since this municipality is its largest producer.
Nobles, notables, men of faith – the Jewish and ‘New Christian’ community has left a considerable legacy in S. João da Pesqueira – all men of unmeasurable strength, strong enough to tame a “River of Bad Navigation” (as the Douro was known throughout the centuries) have passed through the streets of S. João da Pesqueira. Here, they erected palaces with coats-of-arms and century-old churches, leaving for posterity the most important collection of historical fragments in the region.
The powerful Távoras family were the lords of the village; the Marquis of Soveral, the most famous of the Portuguese diplomats and a central figure in the relations between Portugal and England, was born here; and the Marquis of Pombal, a famous prime-minister, studied at St. Francis Convent.
Situated in the Cima Corgo Sub-Region, the toponymy of the municipality’s major town is associated with the fishing hamlet once situated near the mythical Cachão da Valeira (where the Count of Forrester lost his life and Antónia “Ferreirinha” almost perished too); river fishing was in fact an extra source of income for many families, even though the Douro River posed constant difficulties to the arrais (skippers) of the iconic Rabelo river barges.
The dangerous crossing of the Douro has given way to several forms of popular religious devotions and displays, among them the sanctuaries built on the hilltops. The most emblematic one is the St. Saviour of the World sanctuary (built precisely by the Cachão da Valeira), considered the largest in the region and composed by seven small chapels displayed along the hill, some of them dating back to the sixteen Century.
Carvalhas Viewpoint
Having the Douro River has a source and form of distinctiveness, the agriculture is the main economic activity in the municipality, occupying more than half of the working population. From among the produce, the vineyard assumes a vital role, with around 90% of the municipality’s economic activity dedicated to wine production. The vineyards, either green or clay coloured, have captured the undulating fields and the visitors’ sights, that come here and fall in love with the picturesque hamlets, tucked up in the hillsides.
Occupying about 20% of the area classified as UNESCO World Heritage, and crossed by the National Road 222 – elected as “the most beautiful to drive in the world” – the municipality of S. João da Pesqueira constitutes a true, man-built treasure trove, fruit of the people’s constant dialogue with Nature over a period of more than seven thousand years.
But – as the Portuguese saying goes, ‘we do not live from wine alone’ – many olive trees, scattered around the hill ridges and stepped terraces of S. João da Pesqueira’s municipality, have also taken advantage of the unique local conditions to produce excellent olive oils. Flowering almond trees have their turn in the Spring, when their sight fills the valleys that spread from the Douro river. Apples, oranges, chestnuts and honey are also of economic relevance for S. João da Pesqueira, thus creating a mosaic of agricultural productions that reflects the true essence of the Douro and gets transmitted to the table.
Oven-roasted goat is the chief dish; other specialties include the smokehouse-cured products, the ‘economic’ biscuits, the almond ball and Ervedosa do Douro’s black cake. Nevertheless, S. João da Pesqueira’s gastronomy has in the wine its most representative symbol, and to celebrate that, it dedicates the first weekend of September to the “Vindouro – Wine & History – Pombalina Feast”, the largest and oldest wine festival in the region. This event marks not only the official start of the vindimas (grape harvest), but also the closing of a cycle, with family-cherished traditions, tenderly preserved in S. João da Pesqueira, passing on to the coming generations. Pack your bags, stomp on the grapes, drink the wine and held your glasses to S. João da Pesqueira.
