We are in Favaios Moscatel do Douro today to discover how they make Moscatel wine (as the altitude is too great for Port) and to sample their famous 4 corner loaf.

We started the day in the small Favaios museum to learn about the area and then went on to see where the grapes are collected and assessed for the moscatel wine and the liquor stored for at least 18 months. After 2 to 3 years storage in metal vats the locals then start drinking that Classic Favaios moscatel for breakfast. We were given a taster and at €4.80 had to purchase a bottle! They also store some liquor in French Oak, American Oak or Portuguese Oak barrels and sell a much smaller number of bottles of those.

Next, we went on to see where the famous 4-corner bread is made in a traditional way and cooked in wood fired bread ovens which burn old vines. We tasted the bread with butter and peach jam, served with traditionally barefoot 'stomped' Moscatel. Very nice.

On to Quinta de Avessada, a local vineyard, for lunch. More moscatel, appetisers with salad, traditional local vegetable soup, fantastic braised (in moscatel) beef with vegetables and a taster of four types of dessert served with grappa (couldn't drink that) before we headed back to the ship through dramatic landscapes.

Tremendously hot again today and we are now under the terraced cover on the sundeck as we cruise downstream on the Douro. Just ordered a cocktail to help get through a lock! The lock bridge was again very close to us as we went through.