DIZZYING PORTWINE
I am sure we are all familiar with the dizzying effects of port wine, but the spectacular bridges over the river Douro which you traverse to visit the magic city of Porto compete fully with these gravity challenging feelings. From these amazingly high bridges you will enjoy spectacular views of the innumerable port lodges scattered within the high compression, tall, red roofed buildings of Old Porto, the second largest city in Portugal. The lodges are easily identified by their giant black and white signage, lit by night. From 1678 the Portuguese moved the precious port in its barrels, on the river Douro by specifically designed boats known as “barco rabelo”. They are very attractive. Regrettably the few surviving examples of the boat are purely decorative; some are now available for tourist trips. The hand built, steep, terraced vineyards on the mountain sides and in the valleys enjoy a plethora of micro climates. This ensures the high quality of grapes required for this exacting business, in the only region of the world allowed to produce port. The trade in port originated in 1386 with an agreement between England and Portugal, and today there remains a great British trading influence and ownership (especially the Symington family from Scotland) in the production of approximately 21 million litres of port per annum. There is much to see in Porto but this article is a snapshot of the main reason for its existence, and an attempt to introduce you to the glorious, traditional, eighteenth century ritual of sipping port from small glasses. You are spoilt for choice in the sheer number of port lodges available to you, many of which are household names; Dows, Croft, Warres, Taylors, Offley, Osborne and many others. The obvious answer is to visit all of them! But that will take several days and probably result in many fuzzy mornings. I recommend the 1790 private tour, (named after the date that George Sandeman left Perth to found the business), of the Scottish owned Sandeman’s business at its impressive riverbank Lodge if you wish for a really special port experience. You will need to make a reservation and pay a fee, but it is a very professional presentation with your own senior guide in a “Sandeman Don” costume, which is the company logo. You will enjoy the informative and interesting tour completing with the professional tasting of a wide range of some very special ports. Another option is the stiff climb to the working Grahame’s Lodge (British owned). This has a very different family feel, and is very rewarding as, added to the very special ports produced here, the views over the Douro from the patio are magnificent and unique.
There are many festivals at Porto through the year but the biggest is the Festa da Cidade (City Festival), staged around 23/4 June when the whole city lets its hair down and erupts into good-natured revelry. A tip on purchasing port to take home: always check the small shops and supermarkets in Porto as their prices, especially for the finest ports, beat those of the Lodges and specialist port outlets by a considerable margin. Don’t miss the rickety tram service in the city, it really is fun!
Author – Colin Sams