The story around a poncha is long and rather interesting. It is one of those details that leads us to the thought: “Well, maybe we really are very similar.” Madeira, Douro, Galicia, Leon, India, problably almost everywhere, around five ingredients are combined and, voilá, something to enhance a good conversation is born.

In Madeira, they are beautifully done and they really serve their purpose. There is no other way, you do have to taste them there, in Serra de Água or in Câmara de Lobos. The spot in the picture is in Serra de Água.

In Douro Valley, the combination of the ingredients is rather different, but they serve the same point. Around here, this drink is an old thing, but we, at Douro Walks, are a bit connected with old things. It is by looking into the past that we realize that there is absolutely no point in building a divisive future.