Port Wine Tasting in Oporto
Porto (also called Oporto) is an absolutely charming destination in the northern provinces of Portugal. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect prior to my arrival, but was pleasantly surprised by its beauty, friendly people and very lively atmosphere. In fact when we arrived, there was a huge festival taking place with fireworks and concerts, as well as a soccer game where people gathered at the square to watch on the gigantic screen while enjoying food, drink and live music, including salsa (apparently, there’s a large number of Cuban expats living in Portugal). The only reason I ended up in Porto was because a couple of friends and I happened to be vacationing next door in Spain. We figured since we were in the neighborhood and had never visited Portugal before, then why not swing by and check it out!
Vineyards along the Douro River- Oporto, Portugal
Since my initial wine tasting experience in Spain, I’ve since wanted to discover other wine regions of the world, and being in Porto was the perfect occasion to do just that. The region, with its vineyards situated along the Douro Valley, is famous for its port wines. In fact, the only true port wines come from Porto- all the others are considered “port-style”, also known as wannabes. I actually was never a fan of port because I’ve always found them to be too sweet and leaving an aftertaste that reminded me of cardboard. I guess that’s what happens when you randomly pick up a bottle (made by one of those wannabes) sold at your local Walgreen’s. But since visiting the caves or cellars along Porto’s riverfront, my view of port has changed forever and I am now probably one of its biggest fans.
Port is a sweet fortified wine (meaning that there’s some brandy action going on there- brandy is added to stop fermentation). While traditionally it is served as a dessert wine, because there are so many different styles, it can be enjoyed chilled as an aperitif, paired with cheese or food, used in cooking, and imagine it served with a nice dark chocolate dessert….oh my goodness, the taste is sensational!
There’s basically 2 main categories- Vintage Ports, aged briefly in wood casks and then spend years maturing in bottles- 10, 20, 30 years, some even 100 years. Vintage ports are rare and you guessed it, will definitely cost more. Makes for a nice present for the fine wine collector! Wood ports are the exact opposite and spend more time hanging out in wood and less time in the bottle. These include the younger, entry-level Ruby ports, Tawny ports (lighter in body and color), and white ports.
One thing you’ll notice about port wines is that many of the port houses or brands have not Portuguese names, but English- Taylor, Croft, Sandeman, etc. That’s because for most of port’s history which dates back to the 1600’s, the biggest market was found in Britain. But of course nowadays, port is enjoyed all over the world.
Port wine tasting in Porto is really a lot of fun and very convenient for tourists. You can literally walk from one cellar to the next because many of them are located right there by the river. Some have scheduled tours (available in English) and others you can walk right in and start tasting. Just remember that being in Europe, they all close for lunch, usually between 12 and 2. Ramos and Pinto was one of the ones we visited and is shown below. Besides their port selections, they also have vintage posters which are available for sale to take home. Oh yeah, another fun activity to check into is wine cruises along the Douro River. They range from 1 day to multi-days with several making stops for wine tasting at the actual vineyards.
Thankfully, one doesn’t have to travel all the way to Portugal to find port as there are many places in the U.S. where you can find very good ones. The other good news is that price ranges are just as diverse as the port wines themselves and can suit a wide range of pocketbooks. Do people even still use the word “pocketbook?” Hmmmmm…
Quinta Nova De Nossa Senora Carmo “Cla” is one of my favorites and it is readily available at many wine shops. It retails for less than $30 and is delicious. There are also a number of selections under $25, but to me they’re just not as good. So if anyone knows of one let me know!
Saúde! (cheers!)
