Having a perfect day is a rare thing when you visit a new city. This is exactly what the wine+food tour in Porto was for us: an exciting experience that combined fine tasting and dining with walks among some of the most beautiful streets and places in this city. I felt lucky to enjoy the tourist crowds as well as hidden medieval streets barely marked by a street lamp or a staircase. The treats were appetizing and representative of Portuguese cuisine: local pastries and coffee, cheese, nuts, plentiful wine, olive oil, and fish. If you visit Porto, you can't miss this tour. You get in a few hours what others may get over several days: food, drinks, great company, a fun and knowledgeable tour guide, and incredible photo ops.

I was in Porto only for the day and did the food and wine tour. I am so happy I did. It was an amazing way to see the city. We walked through much of the center stopping along the way to eat yummy cheese and pastries and taste olive oil and chocolate. Our guide, James, was super knowledgeable and had curated a wonderful mix of stops. We went to a beautiful old pastry shop, a traditional port store where the owner gave us port and a really amazing sheep/goat cheese, a really beautiful cheese shop, a wine shop where we got very generous tasting pours of a red, rosé, and white, an olive oil shop, and a chocolate (the beans come from Sao Tome e Principe) shop. I was with friends and it was a wonderful way to spend time together while seeing Porto and tasting yumminess. The highlight was the olive oil tasting where the olive oil sommelier (yes, this is actually a real thing) taught us everything about the different variations of olive oil, what extra virgin really means, and how to tell the good from the bad. Aside from all the yumminess, I just had a really good time with my friends and felt by the end, that in a limited time, I had a good sense of Porto.

We had an amazing day full of porto wine, cheese, adventurous stories of Portugal. In a few hours we discovered so many different parts of Porto with the right moments to stop for a drink or a delicious bite. I would love to return and learn more about the alchemy of olive oil making!

A wonderful experience in the Douro Valley led by James Mayor, the owner of "Grape Discoveries", who is also a writer. On this private wine tour my partner and I discovered the fascinating history of winemaking in the Douro Valley and got to taste some of the best wines I've ever tried on a wine tour. Not to mention the views were fabulous and the food delicious. Discovering secret wine properties under the expert guidance of James was exciting. Also, we could choose to go at our own pace, which was great because we couldn't stop taking pictures. The special thing about this tour is that we were treated like friends and family rather than tourists. Un unforgettable day, can't wait to be back next year.

With only a couple of days in Porto I was keen to savour a vineyard or two and the culinary delights of the Douro. I’m a fan of independent travel so was intrigued by Grape Discoveries website recommendations for immersive, up-close experiences in the region. I opted for a day of ‘Wine, Pestiscos and Douro Life’. Magic! A stunning day that exceeded expectations. Gracious, generous hospitality in exceptional quintas, sampling wines to die for with delicious local Portuguese food. The Douro is not a rush though. James Mayor has designed tours that embrace the intimacy and sensuality of slow travel that one so rarely finds on a tight schedule. Thank you!

Our day trip in the Douro Valley with Grape Discoveries was something magical and unforgettable. James picked us up in Porto at the appointed time and he took our group of friends on this wonderful tour throughout the Douro wine region. The views on the way were spectacular and James gave us interesting bits of information about the local culture and the art of winemaking. You can feel in the way he speaks that he loves the Douro with passion and is already a local at heart. He took us to places that are not on the tourist map, which made us feel very special. After a short drive, we arrived in Sabrosa and went to have petiscos and wine at Teresa’s, who owns a beautiful manor house in the heart of the Douro Valley. We got invited in the kitchen and shared food around a big wooden table. After that, we went to visit Jose - Teresa’s cousin and spent an entire afternoon with him, his mother and his employees who treated us like we were old friends. Never a tour felt more private and intimate. This was something unique and special. The wines we tasted throughout the day were incredibly good and the food we tasted was local and fresh. James is a wonderful tour guide, very knowledgeable, good spirited and gentle. We felt very comfortable being taken care of by him and let in on some very special secrets of the Douro Valley.