No visit to Porto would be complete without visiting one of the many wine lodges that are located across the Douro River in the Vila Nova de Gaia area. While the grapes are grown in the Douro wine region located to the east of Porto, after the harvest they are transported to Porto and the actual production of wine takes place in the wine lodges located in Porto. So even if you don’t have enough time to take a trip out to the wine region, you don’t have to miss out on doing a wine tasting and learning about the history of Port wine.
One of the lodges that welcomes visitors is Graham’s 1890 Port Lodge. W&J Graham’s was founded in 1890 and continues to be a working wine cellar. Grahams was acquired by the Symington Family and is the only remaining British Port company independently owned by a single family. The building currently houses over 2,000 pipes (oak casks) and 40 tonels and balseiros (large oak vats) of ageing Port wine, as well as extensive cellars of Vintage Port, ageing in bottle.
Visits to the lodge are by reservation only and can be requested online in advance. The hour and a half guided tours are offered in a number of languages (including English) and conclude with a wine tasting. Visitors can choose from a variety of tasting options of Classic, Premium, Vintage or Tawny Ports. If you are interested in a more intimate setting you can book a tasting in the Vintage Room, where a more select group of Super Premium and Luxury wines can be tasted, including rare Vintage Ports and Aged Tawnys. Visitors can sample Port wines in the the wood-paneled room that has the cozy feel of a library in a manor house and order snacks to accompany their wine selections.
Graham’s also has a museum and a shop that offers a wide variety of Graham’s Ports as well as Ports and Douro DOC wines produced at other Symington Family Quintas. Vinum Restaurant & Wine Bar is a highly rated restaurant that offers panoramic views of the river and the historic center of Porto.
Tours of Graham’s 1890 Port Lodge are by advance reservation only.
- Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
- Phone: 22 377 64 90 or 22 377 64 92
- Website: Grahams
- Click on Visit Graham’s Lodge for the link to book a tour
Photo credit: © Christopher Pappas · All rights reserved.
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