Nothing personifies summer like sipping a sundowner on a breezy ocean terrace. Kathryn Tomasetti heads to Portugal’s second city to savour sensational port wine, probably the most pervasive of Portuguese exports
Wine has been cultivated on the steep, terraced banks of the Douro River, which meanders languidly from northern Spain through Portugal to the Atlantic coast, for close to two millennia. Boasting a convoluted history, Portuguese wines earned their popularity during the late 17th century, when endless friction between the British and the French led to the Methuen Treaty in 1703.
Positively sealing port’s eventual fate, the treaty allowed English textiles into Portugal free of tax in exchange for reduced duties on Portuguese wines imported into England. English companies rapidly began to set up in Porto, battling for a foot in the door of wine production. At the time, Portuguese wines didn’t travel very well. Experimentation ensued, and grape spirit was eventually added in order to extend the wine’s shelf life.
Practice (and chance) makes perfect and port wine as we now know it was born. A fortified wine, port is created by halting the normal fermentation process with added grape brandy and then ageing the blend for a number of years, resulting in an alcohol content that ranges between 19% and 22%. Colours run the gamut from golden amber to deep, dark plum red. Flavours can be anything from decadent dark chocolate to sultry summer fruits.
Port wines are further broken down into Vintage (heralding from a particular year and bottled two to three years after harvest), LBV or Late Bottled Vintage (bottled four to six years after harvest), Colheita (aged in wood and bottled at least seven years after harvest) and Reserves (a blend of port wines from different years).
Logically enough, the best place to start your crash course in the history of port is the city’s Port Wine Museum (45/52 Rua de Monchique). Located in an 18th-century warehouse that used to store the Companhia Geral de Agricultura’s wines, the museum details the relationship between the wine and the city over the past 400 years.
Just a short walk away, you can settle into Solar do Vinho do Porto (220 Rua de Entre Quintas, ivp.pt), packed with elderly patrons and the seriously knowledgeable staff of the Port and Douro Wines Institute. On the ground floor of the Romantic Museum and next to the Palácio de Cristal gardens, the terraced bar overlooks the river. Order a plate of local cheeses and start sampling different ages, types and brands of port wine.
Ready to check out the wine cultivation first hand? Port wine is produced in three areas along the Douro River – Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo and Douro Superior. For breathtaking scenery and the best insight into port’s production, be sure to head at least as far east as Cima Corgo. The landscape just gets prettier and prettier. The Marão and Montemuro mountains serve to shield the area from Atlantic gusts, making the winters frigid and the summers sweltering – the perfect climate for grape cultivation.
For close to 600 years, port wine was shipped down the Douro in barcos rabelos, or flat-bottomed river boats. For a taste of times past, hop on one of Douroazul’s (douroazul.pt) cruises from Vila Nova de Gaia to Régua or Pinhão (€59 and €66 respectively). Or trawl up just a portion of the river with Via D’Ouro Cruzeiros (viadouro-cruzeiros.com, €18 per person), which runs services from Régua to Pinhão. Additionally, Rotas de Agua (rotasdeagua.com) operates out of Pinhão and can organise anything from a couple of hours on the river to packages that include a visit to a quinta – a traditional wine-making estate – with port tastings (prices vary).
Portugal’s Linha do Douro rail line follows the river for 160km past vineyards and medieval castles. This rail artery was vital for transporting wine to Porto, taking over from the barcos rabelos over 100 years ago. Although port is now transported by way of road and high-tech suspension vehicles, the train line is absolutely stunning, swooping down to a slim track on the water side about an hour outside of the city.
Trains leave from Porto’s São Bento station several times a day. Pick up a schedule from the National Tourist Office (43 Praça D João), which will also be happy to give you tips for travelling inland or assist in booking a room at a quinta. Quintas can be luxurious or spartan, homey or rustic, but they’ll all offer a look around the vineyards and a sample or two.
One of many cute little stations on the line, Pinhão has façades of decorative tiles depicting scenes of local vineyard workers. An ideal base to explore Cima Corgo, Pinhão is surrounded by a gorgeous selection of quintas, their vineyards edged with olive and almond trees.
Stop off to sample the goods at Quinta do Panascal, an outstanding estate belonging to Fonseca Guimaraens (tel. 254 732321, fonseca.pt), or friendly Quinta do Noval (tel. 223 770270, quintadonoval.com), thriving since 1715. Stay overnight at Quinta de la Rosa (tel. 254 732254, quintadelarosa.com, rooms from €85), one of the few vineyards in the region that begins on the banks of the Douro and rises dramatically over 450 vertiginous metres. Or spoil yourself at former quinta Vintage House (Lugar da Ponte, tel. 254 730230, cs-vintagehouse. com, rooms from €115), complete with games room, swimming pool and private access to the town’s railway platforms.
If you’d rather not go it alone, contact the Rota do Vinho do Porto (rvp.pt), the Port Wine Route association. Showcasing the area’s many charms, it can organise overnight stays at traditional quintas, port wine tastings, boat trips up the Douro or historic steam-train rides along the river. There are 54 points of interest registered with the association, encompassing every aspect of port wine production, from meeting independent farmers to assisting in the harvesting of the grapes between August and October.
Back in Porto, round off your visit with a few port lodge tours. In 1926, the Entreposto (Bonded Area) was established in Vila Nova de Gaia. All port wine was required to be aged exclusively within this precinct.
Today, the wine lodges at Gaia docks welcome visitors for tastings and cases of port. Check out Sandeman’s (3 Largo Miguel Bombarda, sandeman.com) cellars, with its ubiquitous cloaked silhouette logo. Taylor’s (250 Rua do Choupelo, taylor.pt), pioneer of the LBV port distinction, provides an outdoor terrace, perfect for enjoying a little local cuisine post port sampling. Or head to AA Cálem & Filho (344 Avenida Diogo Leite, www.calem.pt), the area’s largest Portuguese-owned port producer.
Across the river in Ribeira, the city’s old town, Vinologia (46 Rua São João) may not have quite the same atmosphere as the port lodges, but it’s chock-full of 40-year-old vintages. Part bar, part shop, Vinologia specialises in stocking ports from small, relatively unknown producers. Not just a top spot to pick up a souvenir bottle before heading home, it’s the perfect place for a farewell toast to pretty Porto and its phenomenal port.
FR Passeport pour le Porto
La vigne est cultivée sur les rives escarpées de la rivière Douro depuis près de deux millénaires. Le meilleur endroit pour entamer votre palpitant périple est le musée municipal du porto à Porto (Rua de Monchique 45/52). Ensuite, dirigez vos pas vers Solar do Vinho do Porto (Rua Entre Quintas 220), où vous pourrez commander une assiette de fromages locaux, tout en vous adonnant à la dégustation des différents types de vin de Porto.
Prêt à superviser la culture du porto en témoin privilégié? N’hésitez pas à pousser une pointe aussi loin à l’est que Cima Corgo. Les monts Marão et Montemuro protègent la région des rafales atlantiques, créant un climat parfait pour la culture du raisin.
Depuis près de six cents ans, le vin de porto est acheminé vers l’embouchure du Douro en barcos rabelos, ou barques fluviales à fond plat. Sautez sur l’un des bateaux de croisière fluviale de Douroazul (douroazul.pt) de Vila Nova de Gaia à Régua or Pinhão (€59 ou €66 selon le cas). Vous pouvez aussi prendre le train: la ligne ferroviaire nationale portugaise (Linha do Douro) suit la rivière entre châteaux et vignobles sur 200 km. Achetez votre ticket à l’office national du tourisme situé Praça D. João 43.
Pinhão, entouré de quintas, est le point de départ idéal pour commencer votre exploration de Cima Corgo. Faites une halte pour une dégustation au Quinta do Panascal (tel. 254 732 321, fonseca.pt), ou au Quinta do Noval (tel. 223 770 270, quintadonoval.com). Passez la nuit au Quinta de la Rosa (tel. 254 732 254, quintadelarosa.com , chambres à €85), ou à la Vintage House (Lugar da Ponte, tel. 254 730 230, cs-vintagehouse.com, chambres à €115).
Rota do Vinho do Porto (rvp.pt), l’association qui gère la ‘route du vin de porto’, peut vous aider à organiser toute activité liée à ce vin.
De retour à Porto, visitez les caves Sandeman (Largo Miguel Bombarda 3, sandeman.com) et Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman (Rua do Choupelo 250, taylor.pt), créateurs du label de qualité AOC du porto.
Vinologia (Rua de São João 46) regorge de grand crus vieux de 40 ans, ce qui en fait l’établissement parfait où porter un toast d’adieu à la jolie ville et au fabuleux vin qui en porte le nom.
NL Porto, graag
Al bijna twee millennia wordt er wijn verbouwd op de steile oevers van de Douro.
Er is geen betere plaats om je snelcursus porto aan te vatten dan in het stedelijke Portomuseum (Rua de Monchique 45/52). Ga daarna naar Solar do Vinho do Porto (Rua Entre Quintas 220), waar je een schotel streekkazen kunt bestellen en de kans krijgt om verschillende portosoorten uit te proberen.
Wil je met eigen ogen zien waar de porto tot stand komt? Trek er dan op uit in oostelijke richting, zeker tot in Cima Corgo. De bergen Marão en Montemuro beschermen de streek tegen de Atlantische wind en scheppen zo een ideaal wijnbouwklimaat.
Bijna 600 jaar lang werd porto over de Douro verscheept in barcos rabelos of platte rivierboten. Ga mee met een van de cruises van Douroazul (douroazul.pt), van Vila Nova de Gaia tot Régua of tot Pinhão (respectievelijk €59/€66).
De Linha do Douro-spoorweg volgt de Douro over 200 km langs wijngaarden en kastelen. Voor de dienstregeling kun je terecht in het Nationaal Bureau voor Toerisme in Praça D. João 43.
Pinhão wordt omringd door quintas en vormt de ideale uitvalsbasis voor de verkenning van Cima Corgo. Stop even voor een degustatie in Quinta do Panascal (tel. 254 732 321, fonseca. pt) of Quinta do Noval (tel. 223 770 270, quintadonoval.com). Overnachten doe je in Quinta de la Rosa (tel. 254 732 254, quintadelarosa.com, kamers vanaf € 85) of Vintage House (Lugar da Ponte, tel. 254 730 230, cs-vintagehouse.com, kamers vanaf € 115).
The Rota do Vinho do Porto (rvp.pt), die een portoroute uitstippelde, helpt je met het organiseren van alle portogerelateerde activiteiten.
Neem eenmaal terug in Porto een kijkje in de kelders van Sandeman (Largo Miguel Bombarda 3, sandeman.com) en bij Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman (Rua do Choupelo 250, www.taylor.pt), die het concept van de LBV-porto bedacht.
Vinologia (Rua de São João 46) bevat een schat aan 40 jaar oude wijnen. Dit is dus de uitgelezen plek voor een laatste toast op het prachtig Porto en de schitterende haven.
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