After settling into our hotel in Porto my wife and I started looking around for places to visit and came across Taylors Port Lodge in the neighbouring city of Villa Nova De Gaia.
Setting out the next morning we walked across the iron bridge spanning the River Duoro to Taylors Port Lodge in Villa Nova De Gaia. On arrival at Taylors we took a tour of the cellars and had a talk on the port making process. Following our tour we were presented with 2 port glasses and sat down to a lovely al fresco meal in the gardens accompanied by a glass of port or two. After purchasing some port we made our way back to Porto. This however was not our last encounter with Taylors Port.
Later in our stay in Porto we decided to take a river cruise up the river Duoro, towards the end of our cruise we spotted a hotel on the left bank called the Vintage House. On return to Porto we discovered the hotel was owned by Taylors Port and decided to book a room.
Leaving Porto we followed the River Duoro to Pinhao. On arrival at the Vintage House we were offered a glass of White Port whilst booking in. After checking into our room with a view over the River Duoro we changed for dinner and made our way down to the lounge for a pre-dinner drink. When we sat down to dinner my wife ordered soup, when it was served my wife was offered a glass of Port to pour into her soup, which was a lovely addition.
Having had a very enjoyable dinner we retired to the lounge for coffee. In the background the barman was setting up a demonstration of hot tonging,(the art of removing the neck of very old bottles of port)this is done to avoid damaging the cork which may be brittle due to its age.
The display was set up for a group of Australian businessmen. As the demonstration started we sat nearby and watched as the barman heated the neck of a £150 bottle of vintage Port, once the neck had been heated the tongs were removed and the bottle neck was brushed with cold water and the neck snapped cleanly the port was then decanted into a decanter using a strainer funnel and served to the guests. After the demonstration had finished the barman had some spare port from the demonstration which he gave to my wife.
At the time of our trip my wife had four very young grandchildren, discussing this with the barman at the Vintage House four bottles of port produced in their birth year were purchased and laid down for their eighteenth birthday.
The next morning we had breakfast and checked out, to my very pleasant surprise the hotel had cleaned my car windscreen for me. We continued on our journey.
Notes about Port
When a bottle of port is opened it should be Placed to the right of the host and passed around the table to the left (if a hoggit decanter is used because of its round base it needs to be placed on wooden support}
Port is protected by the Methuen Trade Treaty of 1703.
Port is a fortified wine.
A good selection can be purchased from vintage wine and port
