A wine-tourists guide to visiting the Port Cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia

For anyone who loves the sweet things in life, Vila Nova de Gaia is a honeypot destination for fortified wine- needless to say, Port! Every year hundreds of tourists make the journey to the banks of the Douro to pay homage to this complex and intriguing beverage which has transfixed wine lovers throughout history.

Vila Nova de Gaia is located south of the city of Porto, on the other side of the Douro river. From Porto, a walk over the spectacular Dom Luís I metal arch bridge and you find yourself on the Gaia waterfront, full of Port cellars, hidden backstreets, funky street art, winding alleyways and brick red rooftops. Traditionally the fortified Port wines would be shipped along the river from the Douro in typical wooden ‘rabelo’ boats arriving in Gaia for ageing. In the past, the transportation of barrels along the river could be dangerous with strong rapids and currents however in the 20th century, the construction of dams aided the navigability of the river waters. 

Gaia faces the north therefore providing lower temperatures for wine maturation. The cooling breezes coming in from the Atlantic make Gaia the ideal ageing place for the Port wines and the strategic position near the coast meant the port wine could be easily shipped across Europe. In addition to climatic factors, historically the bishops of Porto charged heavy taxes on the wine traders, so merchants decided to construct cellars in Gaia.

Nowadays there are more than 50 Port lodges in the small district of Gaia so deciding which ones to visit can be a challenging decision!

TAYLORS

The English Port company Taylors was founded in 1692 and is part of the Fladgate group. Their wine tourism experience in Gaia consists of an audio-tour visit through the port cellars followed by a tasting in their tasting room. The audio-guide was informative and engaging, explaining the different types of Ports (from ruby’s to tawny’s), the wine-making process from the vines to the foot-stomping on the grapes. The visit includes videos showcasing the vine cycles and soil types in their three Douro wineries (Quinta de Vargellas, Quinta de Terra Feita and Quinta do Junco). The visit also showcased examples of some agricultural tools, the art of the barrel making and an aroma guessing game. The visit was definitely not lacking in technical information or details on the family heritage- highlighting how Taylors is still a family-run business with ambitious visions for the future. One of the highlights of the Taylors Lodge is the terrace restaurant with breath-taking views over the city of Porto, where roaming peacocks create an exotic and fun ambience. Perhaps one could argue that the visit felt a little impersonal without a physical guide, but the audio-guide provides extensive educational content and allows visitors to carry out their visit at their own pace.

Classic Visit €15, 2 port tastings, 2 hours 

SANDEMAN

Sandemans have been operating since 1790 and today is owned by the Portuguese company Sogrape. The founder was actually a Scotsman and Sandeman claims to be the first Port house to brand a barrel.  Their wine tours are definitely atmospheric (almost reminiscent of a ghost tour), the guide wearing the Portuguese university student cape from Coimbra and the sherry Andalusian brimmed cap. This legendary Sandeman figure is known as the ‘Don’ and was created in 1928 by the Scotsman George Massiot Brown. Perhaps not as detailed and factual as the Taylors tour, the Sandemans guide leads visitors through the damp and gloomy cellars with some impressive vintages on display and antique bottle collections. The tasting room next to the shop is spacious and modern, visitors can even take a photo with the ‘Don’ billboard. It is also possible to visit their estate Quinta do Seixo in the Douro valley.  Would definitely recommend the Gaia cellars during the foggy colder winter months!

Classic Visit €14, 2 port tastings, 45 minutes 

RAMOS PINTO

 Ramos Pinto was founded in 1880 by the Portuguese Ramos Pinto brothers. The cellar stands at the far end of the waterfront, recognisable by the elegant yellow palace-like building. Ramos Pintos was the first Port house to enter into the Brazilian market and nowadays it is owned by French company Maison Louis Roederer. The company gets its grapes from four different wine estates in the Douro Valley (Quinta do Bom Retiro, Quinta da Urtiga, Quinta dos Bons Ares and Quinta de Ervamoira). The guided tour at Ramos Pintos is without doubt a must-do for art lovers due to the gorgeous vintage belle epoque posters, stain glass windows and art nouveau furnishings. The guided tour consists of visiting the former business offices decorated in traditional woodwork with old-fashioned typewriters and visitors can wait for tours or carry out the tastings on the comfortable lounge sofas.

Classic Visit €14, 2 port tastings, 40 minutes

CáLEM

Formed in 1859 by Antonio Alves Cálem, focused on exporting his Port wine to Brazil, the pioneering spirit for navigation was represented in the company logo of a ‘caravel’ ship being loaded with Port barrels. Nowadays Cálem is part of the Galician group Sogevinus. I would recommend Cálem for those with little knowledge of the Port making process as its educational museum space teaches the basics in a clear dynamic format. The use of digital technologies explain the terroir of the Douro, the different aroma and palette profiles of the different types of port and there is a display of the different port colours. The museum also gives information about the different grape types found in the Douro and their characteristics. For those who do not have time to visit Douro, the vineyards are conjured up on screens. They also host Fado shows and offer a 5D sensorial film to discover the Port wine. Another element of Cálem which makes it worth the visit are the enthusiastic tour guides and strategic position very near the Dom Luís Bridge, great for group visits.

Classic Visit €14, 2 port tastings, 45 minutes 

FERREIRA

Formed in 1751, Ferreira is one of the oldest Portuguese port houses and nowadays Ferreira is owned by the Portuguese company Sogrape. Ferreira boasts the emblematic logo of the bird with the horseshoe in its mouth and a major figure in the company history was Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira who helped finance the regrowth of the Douro region after the vine disease phylloxera. The visit of Ferreira cellar is interesting because the cellars still incorporate some of the historic streets of Gaia and the tour is quite traditional with a standard explanation of the Port making processes. The tour also features some old interesting photographs of the factory workers in the past- in particular the women creating the straw covering for the wine packaging.

Classic Visit 14€, 2 port tastings, 45 minutes