Off to Porto on a Flixbus (low-cost and comfy buses for mid/long-range journeys… who knew?). The price and schedule worked better than either flying or taking the train… especially if one were to be bringing back any bottles of port wine.

Porto is an amazing place and Savvy Sailing Girl enjoyed every minute of the trip with crew mate and new friend Kimberly. In fact, we had originally planned on 3 days and wound up extending 2 more days as we were having so much fun and there was so much to see and do and sip and taste, lol! The historic city of Oporto lies on the north side of the Duoro River close to the Atlantic and on the south side of the river is Gaia, where all the Port wine bodegas and tasting rooms are located. Either way, north looking south or south looking north, you have a splendid view!

Despite the fact that some port is red in color and some brown and of various shades, port is pretty much the same wine but different aging, whether red or white grapes are used (though most use red). Unlike Sherry, where the wine categories reflect different levels of sweetness, the categories of port primarily reflect the age. Ruby ports are the youngest and are aged 2-3 years as a rule. Tawny is about 4-5 years old and then has aged varieties like 10-year-old, 20-year-old, etc. That’s actually a blend of years averaged out. As port ages the color changes. Interestingly, port made from red grapes gets browner over time and that made from white grapes starts light brown and gets darker over time. So, the older the port, red or white grapes, the closer in color the wine becomes. White port is starting to gain some popularity and are some of Savvy Sailing Girl’s favorites. Aside from the lure of the excellent wines, there’s a great vibe here in Porto that’s a combination of old world and new. The building façades are simply breathtaking as are the unique cobblestone streets with inlaid designs. Portugal is known for it’s blue painted tile work, and one walks through the old section of the city and is captivated by its charm. Savvy Sailing Girl was also captivated by the amazing wines, but yes… the city’s charm was also irresistible!

Porto has the wine-tasting experience down to a science. There are places and wines for everyone, from those just looking for a free buzz to connoisseurs hoping for a personalized and in-depth experience. Researching the possibilities, we came to a great selection of places to visit, and I must say, we did quite a thorough job of it, lol!

The first stop was to Vasconcellos, a new name to me. Reviews indicated that the tastings were personalized and the wines terrific. That’s exactly the experience we had. This is not the place for the buzz seekers. You are greeted at the door and if serious about finding out about their wines and purchasing, you are led upstairs to their tasting room, which was lovely. There is no tour here, but they are knowledgeable and the wine was great. Kimberly and I both had a great experience, tasted and learned a lot, and purchased. They had a beautiful special edition bottle of their 20-year-old tawny that I fell in love with, but they said they were out of stock and wouldn’t have more until the holidays. BUT, by the time we had returned at the end of our visit to purchase wines, they had received a new stock, so I got one!

We visited Graham’s, beautifully situated above Gaia with splendid views of both shores of the river. We then went to Churchill’s and had a tour and tasting there. The following day, we went to Dos Corvos, which on a previous visit to Porto had a 20-year-old white port which was exceptional. The 20yo white was even better than I remembered! Both Vasconcellos and Corvos only sell locally at their cellars, they don’t distribute. These were my favorites, so I wanted to buy some to bring back. We thought we’d just get a few bottles and be able to pack them into our bags… boy were we wrong. First, I decided I’d need to ship 6 bottles back to the US as I was already schlepping around too much stuff on this sailing adventure. And even then, another purchase here and there, and both Kimberly and I had to buy cheap wheeled suitcases to transport the rest! Seriously??!! When we decided that 2+ days in Porto simply wasn’t enough time and extended for another 3 days, we were able to plan a trip I really wanted to do, up the famous Duoro River where the port wine vineyards are. We took the scenic train up to Pinhão, a 2-hour ride each way, but well worth it as it follows the river and offers splendid views of the vineyards!

We had made a reservation to tour/taste at a vineyard owned by the Symmington family, who own Grahams, Dow, and a many other large and well-known brands. But that wasn’t for a while and we had time to visit another vineyard beforehand. We set off to visit Croft vineyards by foot, following the sign from town. It turned out to be more or a walk than we had anticipated, but was gorgeously situated with expansive views.

We made our way back to Quinta do Bomfim for our tour and tasting. This year was apparently a very early harvest, occurring about a month earlier than usual, and so we were very lucky in our timing and saw every part of the wine-making process in action… several trucks delivering grapes passed us along the road, we saw the destemming process, the initial pressing, the second phases of pressing and on to the bottling area. Of course, the best part of the process is the uncorking and tasting part! 😊

Once back to Porto we bought our wheeled wine transporters and packed up for the Flixbus ride back to Faro and the sail to our next fortified wine destination! Stay tuned for the next adventures in Madeira!