Porto was a mistake.

It was never suppose to happen but it did.

After landing in Barcelona to meet with my friends from Turkey we got a call from one of my two friends. He had some health issues and could not make it. That meant that the whole post Barcelona to Madrid southern coast drive that we had planned would not happen.

For starters, Christian doesn’t drive (well) and I was not in the mood to spend the next few days behind the wheel driving over 20 hours with no help.

So we switched around plans. We added three train trips. One from Barcelona to Madrid, then Madrid to Porto, then Porto to Lisbon so we could catch our flight to Ghana.

But Why Porto?

Well, there was only one reason to go to Porto for me: Port Wine.

That delicious sweet liquid that goes well with any dessert or as a replacement for dessert. It’s an enjoyable wine that I love to sip but the most I could tell you about it was that I enjoyed Tawny Port aged 10 or 20 and it should look something like amber red.

So the chance to go to Porto, to learn more about the city and most importantly to learn about Port wine was not something to be missed.  Since we had extra days, why not?

We opted to stay in the heart of the city at the Clerigos View apartments. A very basic and reasonably priced place with FREE LAUNDRY SERVICE (which believe me is a dream when you long term travel).

We then booked an an overpriced wine tour, booked a free city tour, and booked a totally worth it Porto food tour (with celiac options & discount code at end of article).

We took a semi-miserable night train from Madrid to Porto and arrived at our destination early in the morning at around 2am. We found our way to the center and passed out at the apartment.

On our first day we ate a delicious gluten free tapas breakfast at Tapabento which is located near the city center square.

Then we joined  Port Walkers for a  Free Walking Tour. They are the only ones that I know of who are offering free tours and their guides are fantastic. Our guide was also an actor and so he blended theatrics into the often dark comedy of Portugal’s history.

Pro Tip: Unlike other free tours you do want to book this in advance because they are in high demand. 

The city of Porto is incredibly walkable. It’s filled with old buildings towering high above the port. Hills that shape the city and little places yet to be discovered. There’s also a unique flavor to this little city and a friendliness that is still extended to tourist. That friendliness is something many places as popular as this one have lost over the years.

We met at Liberdade Square and walked through Liberdade Park. We became enchanted by the artwork inside the Porto São Bento historic train station. We stood in front of the Universidade do Porto which inspired the Harry Potter books. All the Harry Potter fans were overcome by the pilgrimage.

For the rest of us, the story of the two quarreling churches built in clearly different styles surrounding a sacrilegious hospital was more inspiring. We walked up hills that felt like they stretched forever only to be welcomed by an awe-inspiring view of the Douro Valley that produces the world’s port wine.

The second day we took an overprice  wine tour. For 72 Euros it was a bit unorganized. WE had to find our way to the wineries and we only had 5 to 10 minutes between each place to run and try to get to the next tour.

However, the best part of it were the guided tours of the winery facilities complete with 3  wine tastings. We were quite buzzed by the end of it all.

We visited three highly recommended wine cellars:

• Ferreira Port Wine Cellar
• Offley Port Wine Cellar
• Sandeman Port Wine Cellar

These wine tours are more than just wine tasting. They start off with a history of the winery and then a walk through the cellar with detailed descriptions and Q&A about the types of Port wine, the process of making the wine, the different tastes of the wine, and how to choose the best wine.

So in order to put that 72 Euros to good use; I’ll bestow my limited knowledge onto you about the joys of Port wine.

Vintage Port Wine

You’ve heard of it, you’ve dreamt of it and well you also know it is as special as it is expensive. Port starts off like any other wine but it’s difference is in it’s fermentation process. Before port completes it’s fermentation it is stopped early with the addition of grape brandy. Afterwards, the producers have to make a decision about the future of the wine based on if they think their port could be a ruby, white, tawny, a late vintage bottle (LVB) or if it is good enough to make the cut for being a prestigious vintage. But the ultimate decision for Port Vintage wine is not up to the wine producers instead it is up to Portugal’s Port Wine Institute. It’s not every year that Portugal’s Port Wine Institute declares a Vintage wine. In fact, it happens very infrequently, about once every three to five years. When we spoke with the representatives at the cellars we visited they all said “I think this will be a vintage year” with a smile and an enthusiasm that made me wonder if they said it every year.

Once you buy an expensive vintage wine you’ll need to understand how to care for it. It should be laid on it’s side and it’s temperature should be kept between 13 to 14 C and never exposed to the sun. For that reason special care should be taken if shipping this wine from one location to the next. When you are ready to open you vintage port wine (and no you should not keep it forever without drinking it) you must drink it within the first two days to not sacrifice it’s taste. But it’ Port wine, so let’s be honest, it’s not going to last more than an hour.

What shocked me most was that there was more than just ruby and tawny port. In fact there’s also Rosé and White port my favorite being Rosé. My knowledge of Port extended from Ruby and Tawny to Reserva, White and Rosé.  There’s more to Port than just the fore-mentioned but that’s for another day.

White Port

White Port is a creative (and in my opinion less sweet) Port that is made possible because the fermentation process is stopped very early. It is always served chilled, should be drunk within 2 to 3 months of purchase and it is primarily used as an aperitif. White Port is also used to make a favorite local cocktail known as Porto Tonico. You can make it by pouring half tonic and half white port wine into a cocktail glass. Add ice and garnish with a lemon wedge after squeezing in the some of it’s juice.  You are now the life of the party and the coolest host ever. Then one can enjoy your cocktail while looking over the bay chatting with your guests about your Porto experience.

Rosé Port

It’s better than Rosé wine for sure. It’s also the most innovative of the wines since it’s process is specific. Rosé is actually a Ruby Port but it is made different through maceration which gives it a pink color with fruity undertones. And by maceration, to understand the process in layman terms (which I definitely asked) it is that the Rosé port has come into contact with grape skins. It’s fun, spunky, and versatile. It is serve cold like White Port but it pairs well with just about anything. Some people have gotten so creative with Rosé that they make Rosé slushies. I, however, prefer to drink Rosé au naturel.

The Classics

I also learned about the classics: Ruby and Tawny.

Mostly, I learned how they are different. Their difference comes down to how and where they are aged. Ruby’s color is like the jewel with same name. It’s rich in flavors and color. Tawny is less sweet, darker and drier than Ruby.

Ruby is only aged in huge oak barrels whereas Tawny is aged in smaller barrels. Tawny is aged in smaller barrels so it can be close to the oak which is how it gets it’s oak taste. The older the barrel the better the taste (just like the blacker the berry…you get it) and some barrels can be as old as 50 years. Oddly, most of the oak comes from the United States.

So that was all I learned about Port wine and it was more than I thought I ever wanted to know. But thinking about the fact that I now can hold a beginners conversation on Port perhaps that 72 euros on that unorganized tour was not totally ill spent.

In fact, I even know how to tell where the harvest of a port comes from. How, you ask?

Well, to know that all grapes came from a single harvest the year of the harvest must be printed on the bottle. Otherwise, my loves, they are all blends. So a 10 year port may be a 5/10 year port and a 20 year port may be a 10/20 year port because of the blend. You’ll get the honest age from the bottle label but you’ll also pay an honest price.

So my friends, go to Porto by mistake and enjoy all Porto has to offer. You will not be disappointed.

And if Porto is not in your near future feel free to lay some knowledge down about Port at your next cocktail or dinner party.

FYI: Our delicious gluten free food tour was through Urban Adventures and you can use this code: JNFRIEND323934 to get $10 dollars off a booking with them.

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