August 14, 2007
Sampling port in Portugal
The Sunday Times opens its travel clinic on a daily basis to answer your holiday queries. Today: tasting a tipple in Porto
A 1963 bottle of Taylor Port
I am a big fan of port and would like to go for a long weekend to sample the drink in its home country. I understand Porto is the place to be, but how easy is it to organise tastings? - Anne, Lancashire.
Richard Green writes: Oh yes, but before your first tipple, head to the Museu do Vinho do Porto (Rua do Monchique 45-52; entry €2), which provides a very good perspective on how port has effected the region’s history.
From here it’s a short walk to Vinologia (Rua de Sao Joao 46), a sort of wine bar cum shrine to port, where there is a great selection of ports and enthusiastic staff full of information and advice. A couple of minutes walk away is the Douro River and historic Ribeira. Cross the double-decker Dom Luis I bridge into Vila Nova de Gaia, which is port lodge central.
In fact, its steep alleys are home to over 60 lodges (or warehouses), and 20 of them offer tours and tastings. Many are free, if not there’s a €2 (£1.35) charge, which usually includes a tasting at the end (and an opportunity to buy bottles, of course).
Graham’s Port has an excellent free tour, but better still runs free minibuses from the riverfront to its hilltop port lodge. The smart thing to do here is cadge a lift up the hill, start with the tour, and then stroll to other lodges on your way back down to the river.
Definitely not before you’ve enjoyed the free tasting and splendid views on their terrace though. Make sure to take in the Real Companhia Velha, which has cellars that part occupy a four-mile long railway tunnel, the family owned Barros lodge, and the informative tour at Calem lodge. And if you are a sucker for the Sandeman’s black cape, their excellent tours are led by suitably cape-twirling, black-hatted students.