Guide to the Best Wineries in Porto

Porto, a wine town par excellence

After the capital Lisbon, Porto is the second most important city in Portugal. This wonderful ancient city with lovely landscapes has nothing to envy in beauty and tradition. We assure you that you won’t be disappointed if you decide to visit here!

Porto is a wine town par excellence, and because of this, we have got together this small guide of ancient wineries in Porto. It wasn’t an easy task, this is a region where wine is art, a culture and a wide selection of wineries to experience it.

The origin of the famous Portuguese Wine is rather a curious one. It dates from wartimes and due to the ingenuity of the French who could not find a way to distribute their wine to the British Isles, took advantage of the Portuguese and stated to mix their wine with the local spirit (aguardiente) and so was born the Oporto wine we know today. Curious, right?

These days the Portuguese can boast on having one of the most famous and most exported wines in the world as a sign of their identity. So, whether you like the wine or not, you cannot miss a visit to one of the many wineries you'll find in this region.

Travellers; a word of warning, the 'Caves de Porto' are not located in Porto but in Vila Nova de Gaia, which you can get to by crossing the bridge of Luiz I, also known as the 'Eiffel Bridge'.

Once you are on en route, you only have to choose well and get tasting the exquisite wine. Let's see some places where we can really enjoy the experience:

• Winery Offley Forrester. As it could not be otherwise, these wineries distil in an old British style and is one of the oldest in Porto. It is listed as one of the most economical wineries to visit with a guided tour but is only between the months of March through to October.

• Sandeman Winery. This winery is the idea of a Scotsman in the eighteenth century. Their logo, known worldwide, is a black silhouette of a knight in a cape and a wide-brimmed hat. So important is this attire for the brand, that the guides who accompany us on our visit will be in the same dress. Sandeman is one of the most important wineries in Porto. The winery gives tours in several languages ​​and, in addition, the visit includes a look at the wine museum.

• Cálem Winery. Cálem is the first winery in Porto that you´ll find just after you cross the Luiz I Bridge, on the way to Gaia. Up to now, the history of the wineries that we have recommended are linked to the British or the French, however the Cálem winery has links to Brazil, which took the wine from Porto to the New World. This is the ideal place to taste some wines after your guided tour in the bar overlooking the Duero.

• Croft Winery. Croft Winery was founded in 1588, is one of the most distinguished and oldest wineries in Porto's wine which is still in operation today. The Croft Winery is also the creator of the first rosé port wine.

• Quevedo Winery. The Quevedo Wineries are the youngest of wineries in Porto. To get there you need to take a cable car and from here you can get to taste some wine and food and take in some wonderful views of the city. Breathtaking!