I had been hearing and reading great things about Porto recently, so when we were coming up with ideas for the long weekend, I suggested it. And by phrasing it this way "What about Porto? We could go port tasting!" I knew that Graham would be sold.
He loves port, has for a while. I can remember buying him bottles of 20 year tawny for special occasions when we lived in Texas, way back when he was in flight school, when we were young younger and dating. During our first trip to Portugal, Graham did a little port sampling in Sintra and he bought a bottle in Lisbon. As for me...I have always preferred wine, simple, delicious, unfortified wine. But I've learned that the best way to gain an appreciation for something is to learn about it and try it at its source (worked for Guinness and whiskey in Dublin).
Port tasting in Porto is ridiculously easy to do - simply cross the bridge in Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia and walk along the riverfront, with the old port boats anchored along the side. All of the cellars are lined up, each easily identified by large signs, and hours clearly posted out front. If you have any questions about tours or tastings, the staff at most cellars are very friendly and required to speak at least 2 languages, so English is no problem, but many speak 4 or 5, if you would prefer French, German, or Spanish. (Coming from southern España, where the concept of customer service is a little rough, we were impressed.)
