We had come to Porto, Portugal for a special gathering with wine enthusiastic friends. Given that Porto is a gastronomic gem my first experience, was a perfect Spaswinefood day. The day began with a walking food tour of the historic downtown. We ended our gastronomic explorations at Prova, one of Porto's amazing wine bars. It was indeed a delightful affair of wine, food and gastronomic pleasure.
Our Taste of Porto Food Tour was arranged by our host Catavino. This amazing walking tour of the historic center with André was filled with great food and wine discoveries.
Some of the stops on the tour included not only tempting authentic food offerings but wine. This was certainly the case at the Wine House, Mercado do Bolhão.
But of course along the route I also spotted some future places to visit.
Needless to say, we sampled some traditional foods and tasted a few Portugese wines during the walk. Our tour began near Mercado do Bolhão. We walked from Bolhão to Victoria.
After a day exploring historic Porto you will soon discover that it is a foodie's delight. Once evening arrived it was time to checkout Prova.
Prova: An Evening of Wine, Food and Pleasure
That evening at the Prova Wine Food Pleasure, one of the best wine bars in town, it was a gathering of friends from Digital Wine Communication Conference days. The Prova wine bar is a great match for those who wish to discover some of Porto's authentic foods and taste Portuguese wines.
I remember first being introduced to the cheeses. When in Portugal you must try the cheeses.
There were many other tempting plates.
Yes, there were vegetarian plates too.
Of course there was also dessert.
That first evening at Prova it was a time for getting back in touch with friends over wine and food. Special thanks to Gabriela, Ryan and Robert for making this happen. I so loved spending time with friends that I had met at earlier DWCC gatherings.
Let's Taste Some Wines
Our welcoming drinks were white port cocktails. YES, white port makes fabulous cocktails. The remainder of evening was a BYOB and small plates affair. There were some great wines and port of course. Just imagine a Caves São Joao, Frei Joao Reserva 1995.
A few of the other wines that evening included:
Druida, Encruzado Reserva, Dão 2013
Kavaklidere, Prestige Kalecik Karasi, Ankara 2011
São Domingos, Bairrada Vinho Tinto 1987
While most visitors to Porto check TripAdvisor and Yelp to discover the top wine bars, I would highly recommend Prova. It is hard to imagine a better place to sample some of the local food while wine tasting. For those interested in gastronomic delights it is a must visit wine bar in Porto. It is a great place to check out the many fine Portuguese wines.
Porto's Port Lodges
Yes, I know while you are in town do not forget to check out Porto's Port Lodges. 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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| Porto Gastronomic Explorations © Spaswinefood |
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| Porto Historic District Explorations © Spaswinefood |
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| Exploring Historic Porto © Spaswinefood |
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| Wine House, Mercado do Bolhão © Spaswinefood |
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| Wine Spotting, Historic Porto © Spaswinefood |
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| Porto's Amazing Views © Spaswinefood |
Prova: An Evening of Wine, Food and Pleasure
That evening at the Prova Wine Food Pleasure, one of the best wine bars in town, it was a gathering of friends from Digital Wine Communication Conference days. The Prova wine bar is a great match for those who wish to discover some of Porto's authentic foods and taste Portuguese wines.
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| Prova: Wine, Food and Pleasure © Spaswinefood |
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| Awesome Cheese, Porto © Spaswinefood |
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| More Awesome Cheese, Prova © Spaswinefood |
There were many other tempting plates.
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| A Tapas Affair, Prova © Spaswinefood |
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| Quinoa Salad, Prova © Spaswinefood |
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| Mashed Potatoes, Prova © Spaswinefood |
Of course there was also dessert.
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| Sweet Delights, Prova © Spaswinefood |
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| Prova Wine & Food Pleasure © Spaswinefood |
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| Prova Wine & Food Pleasure © Spaswinefood |
Our welcoming drinks were white port cocktails. YES, white port makes fabulous cocktails. The remainder of evening was a BYOB and small plates affair. There were some great wines and port of course. Just imagine a Caves São Joao, Frei Joao Reserva 1995.
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| Special Wine Moments, Prova © Spaswinefood |
Druida, Encruzado Reserva, Dão 2013
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| Druida, Encruzado Reserva, Dão 2013 © Spaswinefood |
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| Kavaklidere, Prestige Kalecik Karasi, Ankara 2011 © Spaswinefood |
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| São Domingos, Bairrada Vinho Tinto 1987 © Spaswinefood |
Porto's Port Lodges
Yes, I know while you are in town do not forget to check out Porto's Port Lodges. 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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While in town I also very much enjoyed a visit to the Pocas.
Yes, I left Porto with fond memories and knowing that I have come back soon. Obviously, Porto tops 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.
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| Discovering Porto's Gastronomic Delights © Spaswinefood |
Sharon
July 2016
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