Favaios, a Douro Village with Moscatel Wine and Traditional wood-fire Bakeries

At the outer edges of the Douro wine region, the small, attractive village of Favaios backs onto rugged mountains and offers a change of both scenery and flavours.

While the Douro is most famous for its port wines, Favaios is one of only two places in Portugal where a different fortified wine called moscatel is produced. It’s also home to a distinctive four-cornered loaf made with locally produced wheat and baked in a wood-fired oven.

 

Traditional bakeries in Favaios

The recipe and technique for producing this much-loved traditional bread has been passed down through generations and locals still pop to their favourite bakery for a fresh loaf each day. One of the most well-known of the bakers is Manuela Barriguda, a formidable-looking woman with a wicked laugh who will gladly show you her wood ovens and let you take photos of her simple bakery, which hasn’t changed much since she started work there at the age of seven. It’s only polite to buy a loaf from her in return – she’s got butter if you need it.

 

Bread and Wine Museum

As the name suggests, this surprisingly good museum is dedicated to the local four-cornered loaf and moscatel wine. Housed in an 18th century building which was intended to be part of a manor house, the exhibitions are modern and partially interactive. You can play simple computer games to understand the bread-making process and test your sense of smell by inhaling the varied aromas associated with moscatel wine.

There’s a good explanation of muscatel grapes and the local terroir as well as a display to show how the colour of moscatel wine changes as it ages from a pale salmon colour to a dark caramel. The flavour goes from light, fresh, floral and fruity to a rich toffee taste within 10 years. Both are delicious and you’ll get to try the younger version on the museum terrace, overlooking the vineyards from whence it came.

 

Chapel of Saint Barbara and more views

As any local will tell you, you shouldn’t leave Favaios without visiting the hilltop chapel of Saint Barbara. As hills go, this is fairly gentle so it’s not too taxing a walk from the village centre and the views from the terrace around the chapel more than compensate. From here, you can see acres of vineyards surrounding the village and the hills around the Douro Valley in the distance.