For The Love Of Port

Hello everyone :)

Im new here at FTLOP but a big fan of port.

I will be going to porto for 6 days in the end of March(just before easter).

I will be going with my wife and (at that time) 8 month old baby daughter.

My wife is not a port fanatic but she knows that i wanted to go to porto for the port
She is open minded and wants to tag along.

Now some questions:

What would you visit if you had your first 6 days in porto and had a baby with you?
I personally want to visit some port lodges (3 or 4 if thats realistic) but what lodges are great for "starters"?
Is there any family friendly port centric places to eat?
Places with good food for little money?

And of course: is there any good port shops with reasonable prices? :)

To be honest my biggest interest at the moment is vintage ports, but i love tawnies as well(preferably colheitas).

Please just answer one of my questions if im asking for too many things at once

Fingers crossed for some input :)

Graham and Taylor Lodges are must visits as is the Taylor hotel.

Moses Botbol wrote:Graham and Taylor Lodges are must visits as is the Taylor hotel.

+1, though - fair warning - based on recent experience the restaurant at the Taylor lodge is no longer the "must visit" that it once was. The Vinum restaurant at the Graham's lodge or the restaurant at the Yeatman (the Taylor hotel to which Moses refers) are both great, though.

I would also add the Ramos Pinto lodge tour because it includes a tour of their old HQ building which is now a museum. Lots of cool old artifacts in that museum.

Sadly, you probably won't find any great deals on Port in Porto. Prices on the city's greatest export are quite high, so I would not recommend purchasing anything in Porto unless it's something specific that you cannot find anywhere else. It's likely cheaper to buy over the internet and pay for shipping than to buy in Porto.

Glenn E. wrote:+1, though - fair warning - based on recent experience the restaurant at the Taylor lodge is no longer the "must visit" that it once was.

Bummer. It had a great view. Is it still decent, but now overshadowed by the newer options?

If interested in inexpensive food, you've got to try Francesinha. Multiple posts on it, do a seach on the website. There was even a Francesinha tasting tour and contest!

I like the Sandeman Lodge for beginners. Has anyone visited the Quevedo lodge in Gaia?

Any chance on going up river to visit the Quintas?

Eric Menchen wrote:

Glenn E. wrote:+1, though - fair warning - based on recent experience the restaurant at the Taylor lodge is no longer the "must visit" that it once was.

Bummer. It had a great view. Is it still decent, but now overshadowed by the newer options?

Still a fantastic view, but according to the waiter who served us in October the food is no longer made on the premises and is reheated. Some of it is frozen and then reheated. But the prices don't seem to have changed to reflect the new, lower quality.

I always like to go to the Kopke lodge. Tastings aren't free, and you are effectively buying a glass, but I enjoy the space and the wide range of ports and table wines available, including some excellent colheitas. There are always a wide range of years to buy as well.
If you are doing tours, be aware that about 1/2 of it will be repeated at each lodge as they talk about the same processes, once they get past things like the company history.

I'd agree with Glen that Porto is not the place to find port bargains. Some of the lodges have several different bottlings available if you are looking for a special year.

Paul Fountain wrote:
I'd agree with Glen that Porto is not the place to find port bargains. Some of the lodges have several different bottlings available if you are looking for a special year.

Especially vintage port.

Thank you all for the replies!

everything has been noted