There are a number of historic vineyards in the Douro region that host weddings and they can make fabulous venues in terms of their originality and authenticity, but there can be some issues which you may wish to consider when choosing your venue.

The vineyards in the Douro valley generally do not have  purpose built spaces to host events, so typically your wedding would be held in a temporary or improvised location. So for example, some vineyards use an outside space that is made available for a wedding, or the are squeezed into a cellar or production area; whilst this can give a really fun vibe to the wedding it can cause practical problems, particularly if the wedding is for more than a couple of dozen guests. So for example, there may not be a professional kitchen, the bathroom facilities might not be great, there may be no accommodation and your wedding planner may have to bring in all manner of extras (lighting, sound system, dance floor, tables and chairs and so on), which can make the planning more complex and add costs.

There are a small number of vineyards that have a purpose built event space (for example Quinta da Pacheca), but these locations are typically very much in demand and you will generally have to book well in advance if like Pacheca they are already very well known venues. Here at Douro Weddings, we love to use a vineyard with a brand new event space, which is Quinta do Outeiro (for which we have an all-inclusive wedding package). One of the reasons that we like to use Quinta do Outeiro for the weddings that we plan is that the facilities are fantastic (a first class kitchen, 2oo seater indoor space, attractive bar area, high quality accommodation, lovely terrace for outdoor elements of the event and an atmospheric wine cellar that can also be easily adapted for events). It has to be said that these kind of facilities at a vineyard on the Douro are really the exception that proves the rule though.

The Quinta do Outeiro kitchen – a state of the art kitchen to delight any chef!

Having said all of this, we have already held all kinds of different weddings at vineyards on the Douro that have very few event facilities, sometimes at relatively humble locations but that can provide the intimate and unexpected twist that only an improvised venue can offer. It is out job as wedding planners to make sure that these spaces will work for our clients. There are of course and increasing number of hotels in the Douro valley, which can make fabulous venues for weddings with all the facilities you may require on tap, but of course that is not every bride and groom’s cup of tea, if they are looking for something more off the beaten track.

An improvised wedding space at a small vineyard on the Douro

So if you are looking for that perfect Douro vineyard wedding venue, then please contact us and make use of our intimate knowledge of the Douro area to let you know what options are available and which will work best for your wedding.