We will be in Porto for two days at the end of October. Looking at the various tasting opportunities at the Port houses. Is there one that we really shouldn’t miss? Any to avoid? I looked at all the typical online “touristy” reviews. We aren’t really that knowledgeable about Port and haven’t done any tastings previously. Thanks
They are all clustered right in town along the River. You can get to most of them within minutes by walking. I would pick a producer you enjoy and go there. They will let you taste a tawny, a rose’ and a white as a general course. Some have better grounds and views than others.
We enjoyed Taylor’s the most, but that was mainly due to a really nice tasting room and grounds.
Try and get up river if you can. It’s spectacular and many parts are on the Unesco World Heritage list.
My daughter really liked her tasting at Graham’s.
We are taking the Douro River cruise with Viking. The first two days are Porto. Then we cruise for a week and return to Porto.
You’ll enjoy that. What are the other stops?
Grahams has several levels of tasting, from entry to higher end. Their Vinum restaurant is very good.
The Kopke lodge is a favorite, especially if you like wood aged Ports. The Sogevinus shop (parent company of Kopke) is also on the Gaia riverfront and usually has some interesting tastes as well. They also own Burmester, Calem, and Barros.
The Portologia wine bar has some interesting wines. Generally smaller family run estates. Many are not seen in the States. Up the street from the Factory House. They’re happy to take questions.
Another similar wine bar is Bacchus Vini on the Ribera, Porto side next to the Ponte Luis Bridge.
She did the “Super Premium Vintage Port Tasting” at Graham’s. It included the 1983, 2000 and 2016 Graham’s. I know they threw in a 2004 Warres. Not sure if anything else.
As far as tours, I would suggest Calem. Of all of the Sogevinus tours, theirs is the best.
If you want to go to a smaller house that makes good wines but isn’t one of the BIG names, make an appointment to visit Christies. That have been in business since 1730 and market their port under the Butler Nephew & Co. name. They too are located in the same area where many of the port houses are located. Christie's — Port Wine Producer & Shipper. Just email Stephen Christie stephen.christie@christiewines.com for an appointment. It might take a day or two for him to get back to you but it will be a different, more intimate experience than the big port houses.
I would love to hear how you like your Duoro cruise on Viking. We have two Viking ocean cruises booked for 2020 and a Grand European (Budapest to Amsterdam) river cruise booked on Viking for 2021.
Bulas has just opened a wine bar in Porto. It’s been open maybe a month. It’s a smaller, family estate with excellent wines.
I’ve several friends who ordered wine shipped to them from the Kopke lodge. They’ll piggy back these wines with their regular imports. They’ve just received the wines in good condition, delivered to their homes in the States after about 3 weeks. I believe Sogevinus will do this with all their brands.