As our friends know, me and my wife love a good holiday. My New Years resolution for 2018 was to try and fit as many holidays in as possible. This years trips have included Nuremberg, Munich, Umbria, Puglia and Malaga, but today I’m going to talk about my most recent trip to….. drum roll please…… Porto!
Porto has long been high on my list to visit ever since talking to my friend @seasonedscribbles (Blogger of all things food related. Check her out!). She gave me a full review and I needed to go.
So when our friends booked a September trip we eventually ended up doing the same things and tagging along.
Now as you all ready know Porto is famous for Portuguese fortified wine (Port)….. and as you could probably guess I tried some of this (rude not too..) but there will be a separate post for this tipple. So here we are going to talk about normal wine.
On our first day in Porto we decided to do what most people do on their first day, explore the city on foot and get our bearings.
After a little walking it was time for lunch and our first wines of the trip. We managed to find a little seafood restaurant quite close to the river front. Quite traditional and specializing in sea food.
We started with the sparkling, Raposeira Blanc de Noirs Bruto. This is made in the traditional method and I have to admit I was well impressed. Dry, smooth and excellent value for money. An easy drinker.
This was followed up by a white wine, Quinta dos Carvalhais Dão Duque de Viseu Branco 2016. Created was made from Encruzado, Bical and Malvasia Fina, grapes. I hadn’t heard of these varieties before never mind tasted them. There was no need to worry, it was zesty, dry and went perfectly with our seafood dishes.
After a day of sight seeing we decided to start thinking about dinner. After flicking through TripAdvisor a restaurant called the Wine Box was selected, I wonder why…. Unfortunately the experience wasn’t great, although the wines we had were good. Lets just say that ordering the old fashioned way is a little easier than through a tablet……..
Next up was my favorite bar of the weekend, Bacchus Vini!
A traditional looking building in an amazing location, looking straight onto the Douro river and the Dom Luís I Bridge.
Both myself and the @Cumbriancook (another foody blogger friend of mine) had researched this before we had even stepped on the plane…. the reviews were positive and we were not disappointed.
We were given a nice welcome by the lady who was running the bar and handed he extensive wine menus. Straight away we noticed that they had wine tastings. All different levels and mixtures. The decision was made.
We went for the 5 glass tasting and decided to go with the more expensive wine selection (why not were on holiday!). This included a vinho verde, sparkling Rosé, a white wine and two reds all for 19 euros!
Each wine was described enthusiastically explaining to us the style and region showing us the locations on the map of Portugal.
The wines selected were from smaller independent vineyards and you could see the passion she had for her local products.
I didn’t realize how much Portuguese wine is blended until it was explained.
I’m not really a big Rosé fan, but the star of the tasting was the Távora Terras do Demo Touriga Nacional. It was fresh and easy to drink with delicate hints of strawberry and raspberry. An ideal wine for sitting in the sun next to the river in the glorious sunshine watching all the boats and people go by.
Our tasting certainly caught the attention of passers by with people coming over to ask what we were doing. Quickly all of the tables were taken with a mixture of wine lovers and holidaymakers keen to have their own tasting experience.
One tasting wasn’t quite enough and we had a bit more time before dinner so we decided on another three reds. All quite boozy and full bodied, my type of wines.
We visited quite a few other little wine bars and restaurants during out visit. All of them providing great selections of locally produced wines at really good prices.
If your a lover of wine, sunny weather, good food and enjoy a city break then look no further than Porto.
About the Grape 