Porto (Oporto), Portugal, a city with lots of historical charm, is a city on the move these days. Today's Porto is a city with a vibrant food and wine scene. Thanks to Catavino I discovered some of Porto's best wine and food players. During an earlier visit I delighted in exploring the port houses in the historic Vila Nova de Gaia. This time however, besides hanging out with my wine enthusiast friends, it was perfect timing to discover what's up gastronomically. What follows are a few postcards on my recent gastronomic affair in Porto. I will share just a few brief vignettes for now. There will be more delicious details in future posts.
Porto on The Move
No one will doubt that summer time is the perfect time for a gastronomic adventure in Portugal. In fact soon after I arrived I was off sampling local foods and wines with friends from DWCC (Digital Wine Bloggers Communication Conference) days.
That is, after I rested a little after a very long flight.
Taste of Porto Postcard
First up, a Taste of Porto Food Tour arranged by our host Catavino. During a walking tour of the historic center with André we sampled some traditional foods and tasted a few wines.
Our last stop was at Taberna Do Largo where we sampled some wines from various regions of Portugal.
I would highly recommend this tour to foodies who wish to discover some of Porto's authentic foods and do a little wine tasting. You will also pickup a few tips on places to try later.
Prova Wine & Food Pleasure Postcard
Later that evening it was time to checkout Prova, one of the best wine bars in town.
It was an evening for getting back in touch with friends over wine and food. These are friends that I met as a result of earlier DWCC gatherings. Special thanks to Gabriela, Ryan and Robert for making this happen.
The evening was a BYOB and small plates affair. There were some great wines and port of course.
I would highly recommend Prova. It is a must visit wine bar in Porto.
Poças Port Wine Lodge Postcard
Next day we were off to Poças Port Wine Lodge in Gaia. It was delightful to visit a family owned port house, which has just established a new tasting room in Porto.
At Poças we tasted both still wines and port wines.
Maria Manuel Maia shared the Poças family story and introduced the wines we tasted.
The chief prepared a wonderful lunch for us.
I delighted in getting to know Poças wines.
I loved all the still wines I tasted. My favorite port wine was their Colheita 1992.
We later walked down the hill to a wine tasting in-progress at Niepoort.
I took a quick peek then boarded a taxi back to the hotel.
O Gaveto Postcard
Our night out was dinner at O Gaveto.
O Gaveto is known for its fresh fish and seafood. When we arrived to our table was all setup with seafood appetizers. As my photos show the appetizers were so carefully arranged that they looked like floral bouquets on the table.
The restaurant is regarded as one of the most wine friendly restaurants in Porto. You can bring your own or order a la carte. Naturally in our wine community there were some special bottles to taste.
It is hard to imagine a better place to dine. After dinner it was back to hotel for me. I needed to rest for the next day's event. No trip to Porto is complete without at least a quick visit to the Douro Valley. Next morning we were off to the Douro Valley.
The Douro Valley Postcard
Porto's Port Lodges Postcard
I must note that the port lodges in the historic Vila Nova de Gaia are a must. It is hard to pass up a tasting at places, like Taylor's Port Lodge at the top of the Gaia hillside overlooking Porto. The view from there is absolutely majestic.
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| Admiring Porto Rooftops © Spaswinefood |
No one will doubt that summer time is the perfect time for a gastronomic adventure in Portugal. In fact soon after I arrived I was off sampling local foods and wines with friends from DWCC (Digital Wine Bloggers Communication Conference) days.
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| Hello Porto © Spaswinefood |
Taste of Porto Postcard
First up, a Taste of Porto Food Tour arranged by our host Catavino. During a walking tour of the historic center with André we sampled some traditional foods and tasted a few wines.
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| First Stop, Loja Dos Pastéis De Chaves, Porto© Spaswinefood |
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| Smiling Faces, Loja Dos Pastéis De Chaves © Spaswinefood |
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| Two Smiling Faces, Loja Dos Pastéis De Chaves © Spaswinefood |
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| Wine Tasting, Taberna Do Largo © Spaswinefood |
Prova Wine & Food Pleasure Postcard
Later that evening it was time to checkout Prova, one of the best wine bars in town.
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| Prova Wine & Food Pleasure, Porto © Spaswinefood |
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| Prova Wine & Food Pleasure © Spaswinefood |
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| Prova Wine & Food Pleasure © Spaswinefood |
The evening was a BYOB and small plates affair. There were some great wines and port of course.
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| Special Wine Moments at Prova © Spaswinefood |
I would highly recommend Prova. It is a must visit wine bar in Porto.
Poças Port Wine Lodge Postcard
Next day we were off to Poças Port Wine Lodge in Gaia. It was delightful to visit a family owned port house, which has just established a new tasting room in Porto.
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| Poças Port Wine Lodge © Spaswinefood |
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| Poças Port Wine Lodge © Spaswinefood |
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| Maria Manuel Maia, Poças Port Wine Lodge © Spaswinefood |
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| Poças Port Wine Lodge © Spaswinefood |
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| Poças Wines © Spaswinefood |
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| Poças Junior Port, Colheita 1992 © Spaswinefood |
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| Niepoort Wine Tasting © Spaswinefood |
O Gaveto Postcard
Our night out was dinner at O Gaveto.
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| O Gaveto © Spaswinefood |
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| Appetizer Time, O Gaveto © Spaswinefood |
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| Colorful Boquet of Seafood, O Gaveto © Spaswinefood |
The restaurant is regarded as one of the most wine friendly restaurants in Porto. You can bring your own or order a la carte. Naturally in our wine community there were some special bottles to taste.
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| After Dinner Wine Lineup © Spaswinefood |
The Douro Valley Postcard
It was a delightfully hot day in the Douro Valley.
We had an amazing visit at Quevedo's. We were treat royally.
First, we did some sampling from the barrels. In this case we did some port wine sampling from the wine barrels. Without a doubt wine sampling from port wine barrels is so much more tempting than most wine barrels. This was followed by a wine tasting of Quevedo and Covela wines over lunch.
It was a stellar lunch with excellent wines. It was hard not to love Covela's Rosé and Quevedo's 30 year old White Port.
Before leaving that day we took a dip in the Douro. It was a great way to cool down on a 38 degree Celsius day. Hot or not no true wine enthusiast can get enough to the Douro. Let me not forget to mention the many breath taking views of Douro Valley quintas (or vineyards) where the grapes are grown. The Douro Valley port wines and its other wines sure leave a lasting impression.
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| A Douro Day © Spaswinefood |
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| Quevedo, Douro Valley © Spaswinefood |
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| Tasting Quevedo and Covela Wines © Spaswinefood |
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| Covela Rosé 2015 © Spaswinefood |
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| Quevedo 30 Year Old White Port © Spaswinefood |
Porto's Port Lodges Postcard
I must note that the port lodges in the historic Vila Nova de Gaia are a must. It is hard to pass up a tasting at places, like Taylor's Port Lodge at the top of the Gaia hillside overlooking Porto. The view from there is absolutely majestic.
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| View from Taylor's Port Lodge © Spaswinefood |
Take a walk down the hill towards the Douro River waterfront. There you will find the other well-known port lodges, such as Sandeman's. The Sandeman symbol is hard to miss. I still remember visiting Sandeman's Quinta do Seixo in the Duoro Valley during an earlier visit.
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Sandeman Port Lodge, Porto © Spaswinefood
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I left Porto with fond memories and knowing that I have come back soon to explore, not only to taste more port wines, but also more wines and local foods. Obviously Porto is place that should top most #foodies and #winelovers list. Spaswinefood looks forward to further adventures in Portugal. I invite you to join me in my travels in Portugal and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.
Sharon
July 2016
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