![]() ![]() This Tawny port is most commonly sipped on as a digestif or over a dessert at room temperature. While strong, it has dried fruit and nutty flavors. The Tawny Porto was aged for four years in oak barrels. It’s a great wine to have chilled as an aperitif or as a dessert wine. The consistency is slightly thick and the taste is really sweet. Its name means tears, referring to the tear shape it forms while being poured into a glass. ![]() The Lagrima is known to be the sweetest of the white port wines. Our visit ended with the port wine tasting of a Lagrima Porto and a Tawny Porto. The cellars are now family-owned by Portuguese proprietors. In the port wine cellars you’ll find a large portrait of the King and the Prime Minister as a reminder of their heritage. This is unlike other wineries which have refrigerated port cellars in the Douro Valley and just keep a port house for visits in Gaia. Real Companhia Velha is a working winery where you can still see the wine cellars and port wines aging in barrels. The company owns several wine estates or “Quintas” in Portuguese in the Douro Valley where the grapes come from. It began with a brief video introducing the company and the Douro region, where port wine grapes are grown. When we visited, we were the only ones on the tour. It was founded by the King and the Prime Minister, Marques de Pombal, back in 1756.įurther from the river and from the tourist attractions in Gaia, this port cellar offers a more intimate visit, making it one of the best port tasting locations. Real Companhia Velha is the oldest wine company in Portugal. Here are a few lodges to consider for a port wine cellar visit and wine tastings. You will enjoy the amazing view over the river, Gaia and Porto. The climate on the north bank of the river is milder, providing better conditions to store the port in the cellars.įrom Porto, cross over the magnificent The Dom Luís I Bridge via the upper deck, reserved for pedestrian and tramways. Gaia, however, is also an ideal location for aging port wines. This was much to the dismay of the church. The King then gave authorization to port wine makers to escape this tax by moving across the Douro River to Vila Nova de Gaia instead. Story has it that in the 13th century, the church was the only institution to benefit from taxes on trade in Porto. The reason the port wines are found in Gaia is due to an interesting twist between religion and politics. You’ll find more than 60 port houses.ĭespite its name, the port wine industry is not housed in Porto but in Vila Nova de Gaia commonly referred to as “ Gaia” by locals. Vila Nova de Gaia, situated across the Douro River from Porto, is the home of historic port lodges and wine producers. ![]()
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