River Cruise and Port Wineries in Porto

Sorry for the late blogging, peeps. We simply been having too much fun, come home exhausted and falling instantly asleep.

So anyways, today we wanted to see the other side of the river. Why, I hear you ask? Because Port wine was named after Porto and the best wineries are on the other side of the river. Good enough reason for anybody I reckon.

Before we crossed the Ponte Luis I bridge we took the opportunity to have a cruise on the river and see the Ribeira and the 6 beautiful bridges across the Douro from a different vantage point. A lot of people like to do this as well apparently. There are the ever present queues to get a ticket and then the queues to actually get on the boat. All part and parcel of the game essentially. The cruises of course can vary in duration, vessel and cost. Ours was a 50 minute tour of the 6 bridges in a converted Douro boat and cost a quite reasonable 15 euros. Their was also a verbal guide to the cruise but we couldn't hear it above the engine noise and the crowds onboard. No biggy, we wanted to see the bridges, not learn about them.

And then to the famous Port wineries of Porto, or that was the original intention. My idea of a winery visit is to stick my head in at the cellar door, try a few of their wines, buy some if I like it and move onto the next one. That doesn't happen here. Entry to the wineries is ticketed, includes a guided tour and ends in a tasting of a couple of selected ports of their choosing. You can try other offerings, but you will need to pay for them at regular glass prices. If you're quick, you can learn a lot about Port wines, Tawnys, Ruby's, Roses, late selections, stuff like that. Me? That guff just makes my head hurt and I'd rather do that with the port more directly.

So our winery crawl was limited to just Calems, the most visited winery in the world. Their product is superb and makes the Barossa and Ruthglen ports look very ordinary in comparison. The tasting at the end quickly dissolved into a social event and people were still there chatting happily a full hour after the tour had officially ended. Other tours arrived at intervals too, so we roped them in as well. Great times.

This day was also Jackie's birthday, so as a special treat I took her out to Taylor's winery further up the hill. The place is as posh as you could imagine with its lawns and garden settings and a very fine dining restaurant. Even a couple of random peacocks wandering about the place. We had a lovely dinner with a stunning view over Porto. And it cost a bomb, but what the hey. Birthdays in Porto don't happen every year, now do they. 

A view over the Ponte Luis I bridge, designed by Auguste Eiffel of the tower fame.

A typical Douro boat which would bring casks of wine down from the growers to the maturing and aging wineries of Porto.

  

The river gives a different perspective of the riverside buildings.

Another shot of the riverside buildings. 

They are built into the steps sides of the valley.

There are 6 beautiful bridges across the Douro river in Porto.

Some are slender and modern.

Some are olde worldly of iron and trusses.

Time it right and you can see several at once,

The inside of our river cruise boat. It was quite large and frankly quite crowded.

I took this shot after the cruise and everyone had gone ashore. 

Calum winery in Porto, the most visited winery in the world.

Entry is ticketed and comes with a guided tour and tasting.

Some of the large oak casks use to age the port. Each of these holds 17,000 bottles worth.

Ah. The best part of the tour, the tasting. 

A sample of several ports are presented to tour group members and explained in detail.

It quickly turned into a social occasion. These guys were still there yakking away half an hour after the tour officially ended.

An interesting piece of public art made from crashed car parts.

Ah, Taylor's port winery, not to be confused with the Clare Valley winery of the same name.

This one has Royal patronage as it is by appointment the official port wine supplier to the Queen.

 We had a pre-dinner drink in their garden with this resident show-off.

Some girls out on a hen's night had that much in common with the resident Pea-hen, who decided to join them.

  

Taylor's restaurant where I took Jackie for her birthday.
Lovely posh restaurant with excellent food, terrific staff and a majestic view over Porto.

Didn't I say the view was good?