To buy Port in Oporto.

[Carlos Rodriguez]

It'd be easy. And it is, but when you are trying to find best prices in town, ... is a diferent matter. You can find the same bottle nearly 3 times the price from one shop to another. Specially when you are looking for VP. Then you start the adventure.
Usually you'll stay only for a few days in Oporto. Then as the distances are quite big (Oproto, Vila Nova, Mata..) you haven't time to go even to the most important shops. At the begin you think that cellar should be the cheapest place, at least for new vintages. But if you search a little, going to some garrafeiras, you realize that isn't like that very soon. When you see that just crossing the river can be cheaper, or even only few block far. In most of cellar or garrafeira you go into. You find one (or more) bottle cheapper than in the rest.
I did try to find a reason to find the model. But I couldn't ...... My advice, only can be to have a nice walk in town watching some garrafeiras and cellars and good luck.

I'd like to listen your opinions about that .

[David Spriggs]

I would say the, in general, Oporto is not a great place to buy Port. AVEPOD is good for small producers and the prices are not outrageous. Vinologia is also reasonable for the smaller producers, especially LBV. But, my experience is that there are no deals in the big name Ports. However, I will say that the Kopke/Barros tasting room in Vila Nova da Gaia has reasonable prices for their own wines.
-Dave-

[Carlos Rodriguez]

Hi Dave!
I'm sorry, but I disagree with you about this. You can find very nice deals in VP in Oporto, but you have to look for. They are some very nice shops around there. I gonna give you some ex. Garrafeira do Carmo, Wine O'Clock, A Flor de Sao Tome, Garrafeira do Infante, Garrafeira Cleriporto, Garrafeira Tio Pepe, and some more. They're quite a lot of wine shops. The bad think is that is hard to find the deal. But you can. In my last trip to Oporto I did bought some vintage Port (Calem, Warre's, Q. do Infantado, Taylors, Dow's), at very nice prices (all below 40€, event some under 30€). The disadvantage is to take them back home by plane. If you need any adress, just said it and I'll be :) to give you.

[Andy Velebil]

I think it depends where you live and the prices you can get them for there. Generally, the prices in Oporto and Gaia are more expensive than what I can get them here in the US or in the UK for. So it makes no sense to buy them over there. Unless they are things I can't get easily, or at all, in the US or the UK. Avepod is a great example...good prices and things you will never get outside of Portugal. So for those it makes sense. But generally all the VP's from top houses are quite a bit more in price. Of course deals can always be found, but in general all the prices I have seen for the major producers are far more expensive than here. And lets not talk about the poor storage conditions many of the stores have.

[Carlos Rodriguez]

Yes it depends on where you live. As I do it in Spain, is dificult to find VP, and when you do it, you only have a few to choose and the storage conditions are to . Also I do like to look for deals.

[Andy Velebil]

Carlos,
What VP's are the easiest for you to get in Spain. I didn't realize they wern't that easy to find, being right next door to Portugal I figured there was a large supply of it.

[Carlos Rodriguez]

Andy,
When you are going to VP, is very difficult (here in Valencia). As you don't have many (very few in did) choices. Neither in the brands , nor in the years. You usualy can find only a brand and a year (or two) per specialized wine shop.
Now in the city, we only have: Quita do Castro, Quinta do Vale Maria, Taylors, Gilberts, Dalva, Martinez and Niepoort.

[Roy Hersh]

Hi Carlos,

I feel your pain!

Given that your countries are bordering and very friendly with one another through most of history, it is a shame that it is not easier to get great Port in your area.

Price is one thing and I agree with David and Andy on that for sure. But Andy brings up a great point about the storage conditions over in Porto. Scary ... to say the least. I am talking about the vast majority of wine shops that are down close to the Ribeira. I have been to others around the Porto area, but it has now been a few years since my serious hunting (in 2003). Storage conditions with bottles standing up instead of lying down, many times in direct sunlight of the window or close to it, is really not optimal for buying great Port. I have seen some very excellent wine shops, but as Andy mentioned, very few times can you find deals that can not be best here in the USA.

In my opinion, you can find better "deals" on Vintage Port ... but especially Colheita in a number of shops in the downtown Lisboa area. I have a handful that I go to when there and the prices are usually significantly less money than in Porto.

Thanks for a great topic!

[Carlos Rodriguez]

Hi Roy,

Thanks for the information. Next time I may go by car then I also can go out of the city. I also will be able to bring more bottles back home with me.

If you think wine shops conditions are poor. Is you haven´t seen the ones around here. They usually are very good looking and fasionable to the client eyes. But if you can see they store room, .... . They have them without conditioning (here summer is between 33-42ºC), lying down ... they are only 3-4 shops where they store in proper conditions (of more than 40).

[Carlos Rodriguez]

AVEPOD is good for small producers and the prices are not outrageous.
-Dave-

I couldn't find where is AVEPOD shop in Oporto. Some one could tell me the address? Thank you!

[Glenn E.]

Carlos,

The address is Rua Fonte Taurina, 89
4050-270 PORTO
Tel. +315.222 089 257

However, since Rua Fonte Taurina is only one block long, that might be hard to find. Here are directions that might be easier:

Find the Pestana Porto on the waterfront in the Ribeira district. It is just down the hill toward the river from Vinologia on Rua de Sao Joao Nova. Stand facing the entrance of the hotel.

Turn to your right and go about 10-15 meters back up the hill toward Vinologia. Rua Fonte Taurina is a narrow street just before the hill gets steep - turn to your left down that street.

AVEPOD is on the left side of the street (the river side) approximately 3-4 doors from the far end of the block. If you get to Rua da Alfandega you have gone too far.

Good luck!

[Carlos Rodriguez]

Thank's Glenn, for the early answer!
I'll go on my next trip to Oporto very soon. I hope in January.

[Eric Menchen]

There's a good restaurant across the street from there. It only is about 4 meters wide on the street front, but runs deep into the building. I'll see if I can find the name if you're interested.

[Carlos Rodriguez]

There's a good restaurant across the street from there. It only is about 4 meters wide on the street front, but runs deep into the building. I'll see if I can find the name if you're interested.

Thanks Eric,
As I'll stay a week there, I'll have time to try it.

[Eric Menchen]

As I'll stay a week there, I'll have time to try it.

Sorry Carlos, but I went through my receipts last night and couldn't find one for that restaurant. I couldn't remember the name, and was hoping I had a receipt. I guess I paid cash that evening. -Eric

[Carlos Rodriguez]

Hi Eric!

Thanks anyway.

[Carlos Rodriguez]

I've been to Porto againg and I went shopping (Port). Now I do know some more places. One of the best, is Wine O'clock in Matosinhos. That I have seen, is that nearly every wine shop, has at least 1 VP at very good price. Like that they try to make people go. Then a had fun going to lot of shop trying to find this wines (ej. all VP: Ventozuelo 19€, Ramos Pinto 31€, Rozes 19€, etc). It was funny. Good luck when you go there!

[Glenn E.]

Carlos, were you able to find AVEPOD? They have an excellent selection of Port produced by independent Quintas. If you tell Maria Teresa that you are from FTLOP she will take very good care of you!

[Carlos Rodriguez]

Glenn, I went several times to the direction you gave me, and it was a closed door without the aparience to be open at any time. It did look like a house indeed (not like a shop). Are you sure of the address you gave me was right?

[Glenn E.]

I have a business card from Maria Teresa with that address on it, and when I look the address up on Google Maps it looks correct, so I'm pretty sure that is the correct address. If you put "Rua Fonte Taurina, 89, Porto, Portugal" into Google Maps it will show you the correct location.

I think that the walking instructions that I gave are correct, but I may have missed a detail or two. The last time I was in Porto I stayed at the Pestana Porto and walked daily to AVEPOD, but the directions are from memory and my memory isn't very good any more. :) There may be a very small side street that runs from Rua Fonte Taurina toward the water that I forgot in my directions. If memory serves, AVEPOD is probably 100 meters or so from the Pestana Porto.

From the street it looks very small and I guess it might look like a row house. The street itself is very narrow and dark, too, even on a bright day. But the door to the shop is clearly labeled so if you were at the right door I think you would have seen the sign.

Another way to get to it is to go to the tourist bureau on the corner of Rua da Alfandega and Rua do Infante dom Henrique. Walk down Rua da Alfandega toward the water and turn left onto Rua da Fonte Taurina. From this direction, AVEPOD will be approximately 10-15 meters down the street on the right (river) side.